


Breaking Walls

by tiffanijc



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Omega Verse, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2020-05-12 09:13:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 73,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19226119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiffanijc/pseuds/tiffanijc
Summary: Jeonghan learnt the hard way how emotions and trust could ruin someone. At the age of fifteen, he learnt that the only way he would be able to live happily despite his traumatizing past was to enjoy meaningless physical companionships. And that was how he lived, for the next few years, until he decided to play around with a pretty alpha who seemed innocent enough to catch his interest.Seungcheol had always known how emotions and trust could ruin someone. He had been hurt again and again by his lover but somehow he could never give it up. However, after having his heart broken yet again that first week of college, this time with no chance of reconciliation, the alpha decided it was time to stop investing his feeling and time finding a mate. Yoon Jeonghan never gave him that chance though…





	1. Introduction

At the age of six, Yoon Jeonghan received his first journal. It was a cute notebook with red cover decorated with his favourite cartoon characters, only 40-pages thick. He had been imitating his father engraving his life into his own diary, the child using whatever paper available so the young journalist finally decided to gift his son his very own notebook for his birthday. Jeonghan could read and write better than his classmates so he got into the hobby quiet easily despite his age. That first year, he only wrote when reminded so 40 pages were enough. Not for long though…

 

At the age of eight, Yoon Jeonghan finally realized feelings are more than just happy, sad and angry. As he took journaling very seriously, he began to struggle to describe the complicated emotions he felt throughout the day. The young boy also enjoyed reading the newspaper to refine his writing in order to squeeze as much information as he could into a page. His young mother could help him at first but soon realized his only boy has a talent just like his father. And so, on his eighth birthday, Mrs. Yoon gave her son a dictionary and some novels to read. For some, it was too much to present to a boy at that age but she knew he had potential and enjoyed the hobby so she decided to support it.

 

At the age of nine, everything fell apart. Mr. Yoon was killed while helping a drowning child and the young family was left without support. The house was theirs if the widow could pay the loans but she couldn't, not without a job, and her skills could only afford her so much. And so, Jeonghan left for the ghetto a few months after the funeral. At the age of nine, writing became his only solace.

 

At the age of eleven, the abuse started. Mrs. Yoon had been the talk of town due to her beauty until she caught the eyes of the main alpha. After that, their lives were 'guaranteed', in a way, as the thugs stopped harassing them as much and there were income, albeit dirty and not as much. For Yoon Jeonghan though, his nightmare had just started. The younger gangsters started eyeing him, waiting for him to turn fifteen, or even sixteen, telling him how beautiful he looked and how they would treat him had he been woman, or an omega. It made him uncomfortable despite them never actually did anything, as they still had the conscience to not touch a child.

 

However, when Jeonghan presented that summer, a year earlier than normal omegas, his 'stepfather' started to treat him different. The old alpha began to touch him in inappropriate places, whispering sinful words, waiting for his first heat to come to 'make' him an adult. His mother, Mrs. Yoon let the man do it, in fear that he would leave them as the two never mated. And so, out of fear that the people would found out, young Jeonghan was forced to stop going to school. And true to the alpha's words, when his heat came, he had his first sexual experience, with his own 'stepfather’.

 

Things got better when Mrs. Lim, a teacher, stumbled across the young omega only to realize he was not attending her school, the only omega school in town. She took action and forced Jeonghan to attend or risk being taken by social service, and so the couple had to stop their horrible act for a while, that was, until they saw some other opportunities.

 

And then things got worse.

 

That fall, Jeonghan returned from school only to be sent to a cheap hotel. Since that night, the child was forced to take betas during school nights and alphas during weekends.

 

He was sold to satisfy perverted adults. Heats were the worse as they kept him at home during the whole week, lying about him wanting to be with his mother during his most vulnerable moment while in truth, he was forced to take multiple alphas without rest.

 

At the age of twelve, Yoon Jeonghan finally gave his journals to his teacher. He heard talks about some foreigner already paid for him to be 'shipped' to his house in another country but thought the guys were trying to scare him, like they would. But when his mother finally treated him like a real mother should that night, he knew he would never see her again. So young Jeonghan ran, with all his journals, hiding near the school ground until a guard finally found him. And when Mrs. Lim was called to help, he gave her his whole life. He was scared, and she was the only one he trusted.

 

Mrs. Lim kept him close and promised to protect him. And she did, his abusers never got the chance to touch him again.

 

At the age of thirteen, the publisher called and all hell broke lose. Jeonghan was safe from his abusers but the authority still didn’t take action as they claimed they were aiming for the ‘big fish'. Through the help of his teacher, his story made its way to a renowned true-crime publisher who wanted to use his journals for a book and expose what happened to public. Jeonghan was reluctant of course, but the promise of a better life was too tempting for the traumatized child still haunted by nightmares. And so he agreed to reveal his whole life to the world.

 

Nothing changed that first few months, but when people realized they were reading about an ongoing case, and the abusers were still free, Jeonghan's case became the talk of the country. People asked for his face to be revealed, some accused the publisher of fabricating the whole story due to Jeonghan's writing said to be too good for a child, and worse of all, some used him for their political agendas. To keep him safe, his face was revealed and Jeonghan was asked to speak up about his situation.

 

And so he did. Despite him not wanting the attention. Despite him being afraid of adults.

 

He was asked to put on a strong front and tell his embarrassing, traumatizing experience to the whole country. In turn, the police promised to keep him safe.

 

They did. Like they promised, every single one of his abusers were imprisoned. But this time, things did not get better for Jeonghan. Everyone knew who he was, everyone knew what he went through. They could never see him as just a child anymore. He was either a symbol of weakness or strength. People either sympathized or idolized him. They wanted to know how he lived, as if he was a celebrity. It was too much for him.

 

Yoon Jeonghan was just thirteen when people made him the poster boy for strength without his consent. And he was expected to fill that position or be criticized. He was paraded around, asked to give talks and inspire others when all he wanted to do was cry and hide from the alphas and betas, the ones that stole his innocence. In fact, in order for him to appear normal, Jeonghan had to see therapists and take pills. He needed help to sleep, he needed help to interact with other children his age, let alone with the adults. He was greatly traumatized and yet he was expected to appear strong to be an inspiration to other victims.

 

Relief never came.

 

At the age of eighteen, Yoon Jeonghan decided to publish another book, this time, revealing to the world his truth. He wrote exactly how their ideals broke him, how their obsession turned dangerous at one point, and how he finally managed to cope with everything. The hideous truth so beautifully written it became the top seller, critically acclaimed despite being extremely offensive. People didn’t know how to react to it – they wanted to criticize him for taking their 'kind attention' as an attack, but couldn't because it had become apparent what they did wrong. They wanted to criticize him for leading the bad life he did, but it was pointless because Jeonghan clearly admitted he did wrong. The adults were left speechless, and Jeonghan got his revenge and freedom back.

 

That was, until the teenagers mistook his writing as an act of rebellion and idolized him instead. But it didn’t matter anymore. He didn’t care. In fact, Yoon Jeonghan stopped caring and trying to fit in a few years back at the age of fifteen.

 

By the age of eighteen, his walls were strong enough nothing and nobody mattered anymore except himself.

 

At the age of nineteen, his controversial book got him a scholarship to pursue his study in Linguistic in one of the top universities in Seoul. Yoon Jeonghan grabbed the opportunity without giving it any further thoughts. Despite what everyone would say about the situation, that the university used him to get attention, the talented young writer knew he deserved it.

 

He had a year left before college and used that last year to build his name and prepare himself to be a successful writer. He had a long way to go but he knew better than to let fate play itself. He knew no preparation is enough preparation. And he knew nothing lasts forever.

 

And at the age of twenty, Yoon Jeonghan met the one who would finally break down his walls...

 

…an alpha named Choi Seungcheol.

 

 _To be continued_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!!! I'm finally starting the Jeongcheol side of my omegaverse! Some of you had been asking me for this, and after two years, I finally got around to write it.
> 
> As I told you guys, this fic would be dark, and triggering for some. I guess you already knew from the introduction ^^;;
> 
> Don’t worry, as I tagged, there's only gonna be mention of child abuse. I won’t write about it, I'm not that sadistic despite what you might think *recalling that one chapter in that one fic* Trust me, I'm not THAT sadistic!
> 
> Please do tell me what you think about this chapter! Are you excited? Is this too much for you? Not your cup of tea? Honestly, I miss writing and reading comments… I missed you readers so much!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read this intro!! Love you so much!!! have a nice day!!! <3<3


	2. Chapter 2

‘Can I take a selfie with you?’

 

Jeonghan pushed his hair back behind his left ear, looking at the man in front of him. He could see the glimmer in his eyes as the omega closed his eyes slowly, teasing before giving the man his typical smile. ‘Sure.’ He replied, waiting for the excited beta to prepare his phone for a snapshot. In the corner of his eyes he could see a group of males sitting on a nearby table, out-of-place, eyeing him. As the young author bid his goodbye to his satisfied fan, Jeonghan finally gave the pack his brief attention.

 

Bunch of fuckboys, that was for sure. And based on their aura, alphas.

 

It was obvious why they were waiting there; for him. No, not like the rest of the people in this small bookstore here for his meet-and-greet cum book-signing session. They were here hoping to get his attention and fuck him. Just look at the pathetic lustful face that one guy was making. Jeonghan almost laugh at his terrible attempt to be sexy by biting his lips. Too young to even try. Which was the exact reason he chose to be with older alphas instead of those his age. They are too desperate it almost seem pathetic.

 

Shifting his attention towards another person in line, Jeonghan continued socializing with his readers. He really wanted to ignore those alphas but he knew they wouldn’t leave any time soon. He was, famous among their circle for being good in bed and ‘easy’ anyway. He wouldn’t deny it, he sleeps with alpha almost every time he had a chance. It was an open secret. Heck, he even wrote it in his book, confessing about it being his way to cope with his past. Naturally, people started calling him easy but on the contrary, he was very picky. Alphas were the ones who would gather around him desperate for a taste, not the other way around. He was the one in control, not the other way around.

 

‘I read it in two days. You’re so brave to write about it…’ Jeonghan thanked the middle-aged woman who started to tear. He wanted to sigh loudly but held it in. Sensitive people really irk him, ‘I’ll always support you.’ She continued, now crying. Almost at his limit, the omega eyed his manager, signaling him to take her away. He could tolerate reasonable tears but fake tears and weak emotional tears, in other words, undeserving tears really annoy him.

 

Well, a lot of things annoys him but tears especially. Tears are for the weak.

 

Okay, obviously he was at his limit right now. He really need a break but the line was still long. Eyeing the clock which indicated another hour before he could be free, Jeonghan requested for a toilet break. He could see one of the desperate alphas standing up, probably planning to follow him to the washroom. He smirked, pitying the guy. Despite Jeonghan being a normal omega with a ‘bad’ reputation, his book was a best-seller which meant, in this small bookstore, he was somewhat a celebrity. Obviously he would have a manager and a bodyguard taking care of him while he was attending his own signing event. There was no way the James Dean-wannabe would be able to touch him right now.

 

…and just like he expected, the guard pushed the alpha away as he tried to force his way to the toilet, following Jeonghan. Feeling a bit better at the amusing scene, the young author made his way inside, expecting an empty space to clear his mind. Which was why seeing a figure moved at the corner of his eyes caught him off-guard he almost cursed loudly. At one of the sink, an alpha was washing his hand, not really paying any attention towards the pretty omega behind him.

 

And without saying anything, the alpha with dimples left. Without even sparing Jeonghan a glance.

 

 

He really wanted to stop the signing event right now. He was feeling a bit better after the break but this rich girl just had to spoil the mood by rambling on and on about him being an inspiration.

 

Come on, him? Inspiration? To a girl with Chanel bag like her? Seriously? What inspiration?

 

All of them are privileged enough to buy books and walk around freely unlike the kids at the omega house who depend on donations and welfare of others. They are privileged enough to be able to socialize with others without any problems unlike most people at the shelter who ended up with communication problems due to their terrible pasts. Just what in the world that he wrote in that book that could be considered an inspiration to those not going through the same thing as him? Inspiration to not give a fuck? Or sneaking out in the middle of the night to sleep with alphas double his age? What load of bullshit.

 

Smiling at the girl anyway, he wiped his face to avoid showing his annoyance to the next person. He knew better than to reflect his emotion on another.

 

Dammit. He really needed to get away from here. He was hungry and tired, he no longer had the motivation to continue nor the patience. Sometimes he wondered why he was even doing this kind of events. Had it not been for his future career of choice, he really wouldn’t have to pretend to give a crap. Unfortunately he needed the exposure so he had to do this. But, it was not like each person here even read his book and relate to him. Most of them were just here because of his reputation.

 

‘Oh my god. You’re so pretty up close.’

_Owh god_. Jeonghan wanted so badly to roll his eyes but kept his professional face on, internally wishing she would not say anything about inspiration anymore because he wouldn’t be able to pretend to be touched anymore. Finally facing the owner of the overly-excited female omega who had a really inappropriate over-the-top fangirling face, as if he was an idol, he tried to pretend he was just as enthusiastic. Half an hour left. He could do it. ‘My friend was li-‘

 

Aah. Finally someone used the ‘friend’ story today. He was wondering when someone like that would appear here. Keeping track on the typical lies people tell him on these events had been his guilty pleasure. Seriously though, this girl sucked at storytelling. She didn’t even look the least empathetic about her ‘friend’ who supposedly been through similar thing which was a bit disappointing to Jeonghan. Still, she put a lot of details in her story. She must be the kind of person who enjoys a one-sided conversation.

 

Owh god, she really loves the sound of her voice. Jeonghan was really getting bored his eyes started to wander. The alphas were still sitting at the corner waiting for him, his manager was talking to the guard at the end of the line, other customers of the shop were standing at the sideline, curious about who he was…

 

‘Owh…’ The dimple alpha he met at the toilet was sitting at another table, leaning against the backrest. The guy was looking his way, Jeonghan found himself admiring that handsome face. No, he could even be considered pretty. He had really distinct eyes, brown pupils, full lips… Such a cute face for an alpha, he almost seem innocent. Realizing the alpha was not actually looking at him, Jeonghan traced his line of sight towards the talkative girl in front of him. Connecting the dots, the male omega concluded the two were a couple, considering how lovingly he was staring at her.

 

What a pity, he would love to spend the night with the alpha had he been one of his ‘fans’. Maybe even give him some extra service after. The guy looks like he would be good in bed.

 

‘Author-nim?’

 

‘Huh?’ Jeonghan quickly turned his attention back towards the girl. No wonder things seemed calm, she had stopped talking. Now was his chance to send her away. ‘I’m glad the book helps. So who should I write this for?’ He didn’t even care if she was asking him a question or was expecting him to respond to her fake story, he just wanted to be done with the book-signing session.

 

‘Woo Ri.’

 

‘Have a nice day Woo Ri,’ Jeonghan smiled and passed the book to her, quickly asking the next person to come forward.

 

‘Thank you so much! My friend wo-‘

_Owh god please just go_ , he wanted to hiss. Thankfully the next person in line, an alpha, was already waiting beside Woo Ri, her face was that of obvious annoyance. Noticing the expression, the omega quickly made her way towards her lover who greeted her with his sweet smile.

 

He couldn’t help but wonder how the couple ended up together. Maybe the dimple alpha was as annoying as her?

 

 

Finally done for the day, Jeonghan let his body fall back on the chair. He really didn’t mind people watching, he was exhausted and famished. The alphas were obviously still hopeful it made Jeonghan laugh at their desperation.

 

Truth be told, they were not attractive enough for him. Jeonghan had a lot of experience with a lot of alphas, his standards are high. He usually wouldn’t even look at those obvious high school boys let alone consider fucking them. But today was one of the most annoying sessions he had by far and he really wanted to let off the steam. Which meant torturing desperate perverted alphas like them.

 

Jeonghan sighed looking at the three alphas. Some threatening would be required since young boys like them like to brag about their sexual encounters unlike more mature alphas who keep them to themselves. Sure people knew he sleep around, he didn’t mind that. He just didn’t want people to know with whom he slept with as there would definitely be dramas considering most of his partners have successful careers. He was sure most of them wouldn’t want their names to be exposed either which made keeping things private so easy. These boys though, they were the opposite. Just look at that excited face eyeing him as soon as he step closer to the table.

 

Urgh. Their visuals were not on par either. Now he was really disappointed that pretty toilet alpha was not one of them.

 

Owh well, at least one of the three was decent-looking. James Dean-wannabe would do it.

 

*****

 

Seungcheol flipped the books on the round table placed in the small bookshop, already feeling bored while waiting for his girlfriend. He thought the line would move quickly since it wasn’t even an idol meet-up and there were not that many people but Woo Ri had been standing in line for half an hour and she had only moved a few steps forward. Resting his head on his arm, the alpha closed the children’s book and put it aside, staring at his girl.

 

She was talking to the guy behind her, they seemed comfortable with each other, almost flirting. Just look at her enthusiastically responding to everything the guy said, and obviously, the guy seemed excited to talk to her. What the fuck? Were they exchanging phone numbers?

 

Gripping his fist, Seungcheol closed his eyes and turned his face away, breathing his anger out. He knew he was overreacting towards the interaction, and that they were probably just making friends while waiting in the long queue, but he couldn’t help but feel overly jealous ever since that incident, when he found her-

 

‘Stop it Seungcheol. Don’t think about it.’ The young alpha shook his head and slapped his cheek lightly to distract himself. He promised to let it go and trust Woo Ri since they made up with each other so he should do just that. Not overthink things, and not getting jealous. His girlfriend was just an overly friendly girl, he just have to get used to seeing her around other alphas. Besides, she gave her words to not do something like that again. Everything should be fine.

 

Getting up, Seungcheol decided to go to the toilet. Not that he wanted to urinate or anything, he just wanted to walk and splash some water to refresh himself. And get away from the two so he could focus on calming himself.

 

‘Where’s the guy?’ He asked his girlfriend as he made his way back to the table. The man was nowhere in sight and Woo Ri looked bored he just had to confirm the good news. ‘He went back. The line’s freaking slow! Tsk.’ She pouted, making him laugh at her childish gesture. His Woo Ri was definitely adorable.

 

Taking his seat, Seungcheol turned to look at the author, curious about his look, and what he was doing it took that long to sign a simple book. First impression surprised him as he thought he was wrong about the author’s gender. It took him a few seconds to realize he was a man, a really pretty male with a very, very sweet smile. If the man laugh and talk like that with his fans, it was understandable how long his reader would talk before leaving. Just look at that attentive expression, even Seungcheol imagined he would be reluctant to leave had the author showed that much interest in whatever he would be talking about.

 

And that hair… That soft-looking hair tied up in a ponytail, just how Seungcheol loved. He always had a thing for long hair even her girlfriend knew it, which was why Woo Ri kept her hair long. Speaking of, she also had her hair tied in a nice ponytail, something she had been doing a lot lately.

 

Simpering to himself thinking about his sweetheart, the alpha returned to his seat, continuing his wait. About half an hour later, Woo Ri finally made it to the front, excitedly talking to the author, something Seungcheol really found captivating because, enthusiastic Woo Ri is as adorable as a puppy.

 

 

 

‘Done?’ Seungcheol went up to her as she made his way towards him. A satisfied nod and he offered his hand to be held by the sweet omega. ‘You really like him huh?’

 

‘Not really…’ she slurred her word which surprised him. She just said she didn’t like the author she just spent almost two hours waiting to get his autograph. That was really confusing. ‘He’s a really famous author right now. I just want something to talk about at school.’ She giggled, avoiding his playful accusing stare. He should have expected this, Woo Ri would only ever do something like this if she could use it to get people’s attention. As crazy as it sound, that was the exact reason he fell for her - her determination to get what she want no matter the reason. He just found it amazing how she could look like she really liked the author all the time she was there when she hardly knew him. She must have done her research.

 

‘Gotta admire that persistence.’ He commented, smiling at her, ‘I expected nothing less.’

 

‘Glad you still feel that way…’ the sudden change of atmosphere cause Seungcheol to turn his head towards his lover, who was now silently flipping on the pages of the book. They were joking around just a few second ago, did he say something to ruin the mood? Not wanting to make things worse, the alpha decided to keep silence, watching his girlfriend silently turning the signed book and pointed towards the picture of the author, Yoon Jeonghan. ‘This guy,’ she started, her tone somewhat serious, ‘he sleeps around from middle school.’

 

‘Owh…Really?’ Shit, they were still talking about it. He thought they were over it since they agreed to forget about it. Granted he still had trouble moving on, but he was trying. Constantly reminding him about it was not helping.

 

Unless…

 

…she was doing this because she noticed his reaction back at the bookstore, when she was talking to the guy behind her. Was he that obvious? Seungcheol did try to control himself…

 

Shit, maybe that was it. Maybe he looked pissed. He wouldn’t know. Obviously he was still pissed, since her cheating on him was still a fresh memory, but it was not as if he was accusing her of anything like she was about to suggest. Because he still loved her, and trust her despite it all.

 

‘Yeah. He wrote about it. Weird how he’s so proud ‘bout being a slut. It’s basically what the whole book’s about.’ Woo Ri remarked, sending a frown on the male-half of the couple. He never thought of her being a slut. Never. He could tell she misunderstood his random cold actions as him hating her, but she was wrong. He did that because he needed space and time to recollect himself after the betrayal. They made up only two weeks after that incident, he was still hurt.

 

Seungcheol wished he could forget everything that easily so he wouldn’t have to struggle with himself to accept her again. Because he knew how much it hurt her. And he never wanted to hurt her.

 

Feeling a tight hold on his hand, the alpha noticed the shine in Woo Ri’s eyes. Shit. ‘Woo Ri-‘

 

‘I’m not slutting around. The line was slow and we were bored-’

 

‘I know… I’m not-,’ Seungcheol pulled her to face him, feeling guilty that he did something that suggested that idea. Yes, he was angry at first since seeing her with another guy reminded him of her betrayal but it was never his intention to stop her from talking to other people. He didn’t want to control her social life despite his own feeling. He just, was still not comfortable seeing her with other alphas, males especially. ‘I still love you. Seungie, please-’

 

‘I know. I-…Sorry…’ He apologized, for still holding it against her despite already agreeing to forgive her, for still remembering about it when he should forget it ever happen when they promised to start anew. He apologized for making her cry from his actions, though he had no clue what he did.

 

Maybe he was still acting overprotective of her. Was she crying because she still feel suffocated? He really had no clue.

 

He had no idea how much freedom he should give her, or if he ever tried to control her life in the first place.  This was too overwhelming for him to think because he never noticed how badly he was treating her that she had to find comfort in someone else. She never told him until they made up after that incident.

 

He had no idea what he did wrong. But he needed fixing himself, he realized that.

 

‘I’ll do better. Don’t cry, please.’

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Jeongcheol’s first meeting! This happens when they’re both around 18-19 years old, which is about a year before their official meeting at the university. I didn’t write much about them in Claimed and CTLF but these two probably have the most interesting background among the three couples, in my opinion ^^
> 
>  
> 
> So Coups’ dating Woo Ri (which I based on Jo Woo Ri’s character in My ID is Gangnam Beauty, so, to those who watched the drama, you can guess what her character’s like… a bitch). She cheated on him, but blamed in on him being overprotective as her reason to guilt him into accepting her back. I don’t know if you noticed, but she’s starting to manipulate him at the end there. She had been doing it since early in their relationship, and would continue to do so until their break later *hints*
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter’s just an introduction to both the characters prior to their meeting so you guys could get to know them better! Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter!! Are you excited for their story??
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading <3<3


	3. Chapter 3

Jeonghan took a look around his new room. It was big, at least, bigger than his room at the shelter. There was even a tiny kitchen where he can cook simple meals, a mini fridge, and his own bathroom, a huge improvement from his old room which consist of a bed, small table and his wardrobe. Staring at the space, he wondered how he should fill the room. He never bought anything he didn’t need as it requires space which he didn’t have back then, but maybe he should start buying some. A few books, CDs maybe. Or even some random mini statues just to fill in the space. He had money to spend anyway. Moreover now that he entered college and received his first allowance from the scholarship, he should have enough even after all the clubbings he planned to do on days with no morning class the next day.

 

Laying down on the bed, Jeonghan stared at the ceiling.

 

This would be his room from now on. He wouldn’t be expected to wake up at seven every day to help out with the shelter, nobody would wake him up if he overslept, and nobody would say anything if he messed up… Everything he ever wanted was finally happening but he felt weird. He felt somewhat empty. Just like the room.

 

Turning around, Jeonghan took out his sleeping pills, the only thing that helps him sleep free from nightmares. He should stop depending on them as much since he no longer had his therapist available 24 hours a day, nor had them living in the same building as him to prescribe the pills when he need them. If he require a new prescription, he would have to get himself diagnosed by the school therapist. Not to mention, the place only opens until 6 in the evening. But that was not why he dreaded the school therapist so much. It was because he seriously did not want to go through that again, telling someone about his vulnerable self. But if he don’t do it, it would harder for him to get other medicine to help with his conditions. Especially during heats…

 

‘Shit.’ He breathed in and out deeply, trying to control his respiration. He could control his panic attacks better now but recently, the pressure of starting a new life alone, far from his omega family, triggered it quite frequently. He really need to stop overthinking.

 

Everything should be just fine. He need to stop worrying.

 

Tomorrow, after meeting all his new dorm-mates, and maybe a few classmates, he would feel better. Things would turn out just fine…

 

*****

 

Seungcheol walked around the dormitory, excited to explore. He already met his neighbours – two seniors, one from his major and another from a different one – who greeted him as soon as he walked into his room. In the corner-most of the floor, he discovered a small lounge with a couch and a few chairs and a small television which somehow thrilled him. He doubt he would be using it much as he never watched much shows or dramas to begin with, but he definitely could imagine himself hanging out here with his new friends.

 

 _Bzz. Bzz._ Taking out his phone, noticing his lover’s name, the alpha smiled as he made his way inside the lounge hoping to call the omega. They haven’t been talking lately since both were busy packing up for their respective universities. Woo Ri decided to go another university to pursue fashion design. Though he was disappointed that they would finally be apart for the first time since they knew each other, he understood that fashion is not this university’s strong point so he let her go, Luckily, her college is also located in Seoul so even though they would not be able to see each other every day like they did, at least both of them would still be in Seoul. They would still be going out for dates on the weekends.

 

‘Hey! Are you done unpacking?’

 

_Not really… We’re walking around._

 

‘Cool.’ Seungcheol waited a few seconds for her to ask him about his day, then decided he should lead the conversation. Phone conversations were never their thing since they were always together but considering they would only meet once a week, the alpha thought they should start doing so now. But honestly, it felt awkward. He didn’t know what she was doing and couldn’t comment on it, and she seemed like she was busy too. On the other hand, if he hang up now, he felt like they would give up phone conversations all together. Opening his mouth to start another conversation,

 

_I’m a bit busy. Talk to you later. Beep._

 

‘Oka-‘ He looked at the phone, still a bit caught off-guard that the omega hang up on him so suddenly. Well, not that he actually asked her if she could talk before calling anyway. She could have already started her orientation unlike his which starts tomorrow.

 

He should try again tonight. Or tomorrow. He really missed listening to her voice.

 

*****

 

‘Owh god.’ Jeonghan rolled his eyes when the seniors asked them to gather in their respective groups, yet again. For the past two days they had been forced to do group activities which were childish as ice-breaking sessions and honestly, he had enough of it. They kept the freshman up until late at night screaming nonsense, had them running around getting signatures from random people, all those sadistic stuffs. His group members didn’t help the situation either, he couldn’t get himself to open up like he should.

 

Not that he was completely at fault about it. How the hell should he react when the first thing they told him was the fact that they read his book? Everything about him, about his lifestyle, they already knew. How the hell should he act normal and try to make friends with them like nothing happened? It would only be a one-sided conversation.

 

Not that he didn’t try, it just got boring after a while. Besides, none of them were the same major as him. In a week time, he won’t even interact with them so really, it was just a waste of time. He didn’t fancy their naiveté and excitement either.

 

How he wished this torture would end soon. He just want to start learning about famous writers and poems, which was basically why he applied to a university in the first place. Not to socialize.

 

But…. He promised to try and have fun. His therapist told him he should try to make friends and indulge himself in the innocence of these people to regain what he lost during childhood. He already promised her he would. But it was hard. Really, _really_ hard.

 

‘Leaders of each group, come and get your first clues.’ Jeonghan stood up as instructed and took a piece of paper from the ballot.

 

Great. More running.

 

Heading back towards his excited teammates who were eager to start the race, he gave them the piece of paper and all six of them got excited. As soon as the whistle blew, everyone dashed outside, along with Jeonghan who wished his body would cooperate with his brain and just drop to the ground so he could pretend to be hurt and sleep in his room.

 

This race better be worth his sweat.

 

*****

 

Seungcheol lifted his head from his phone to see what the ruckus was about. His batch mates were excitedly whistling and catcalling, he wondered to whom. Still far away from the source as he was at the end of the line, he inquired to his friend in front of him, ‘The omegas are here.’

 

Omegas? Were they nearing the omega dormitories? A brief referral to the map revealed that they were actually somewhere near the medical department, and their omega dormitories were further back. He doubt senior omegas would receive that kind of response… that would be weird.

 

‘Owh hell no. Dude, that’s the omega!’ Seungcheol looked at the direction his new friend pointed. Groups of omegas, freshman based on the tags they were wearing, were doing some puzzles on the bench. He scanned the group quickly before moving to the ones behind them to figure out if there was someone he should know. ‘Who?’

 

‘That author! The pretty one!’ Taeyong shook his shoulder a few time, still pointing. Because they stopped walking completely, the line behind them followed out of curiousity and soon after a few alphas gathered, just looking at the groups like a bunch of desperate alphas. Everyone was excited, he could tell. The omegas were pretty so he couldn’t blame them but this was really a bit embarrassing. He really wanted to go back to the orientation group.

 

Before he was able to move his legs, his shoulder was pulled back by Taeyong who pointed to someone, ‘subtly’.

 

‘Dude he’s looking!!!’ The finger lead his eyes towards a long, brown-haired omega, who was, like Taeyong said, staring back at him. No, at his model-like friend probably. She was, pretty, and embarrassingly, his handsome friend started to try and court her despite their distance. Taeyong was busy trying to look cool it was almost funny. Trying to hold his laughter, Seungcheol had to look away as to not humiliate his new friend.

 

‘Come on man.’ He shook his head, patting the other to get his attention. He had his fun, they had to leave now or the seniors would come looking. Besides, if he leave his friend like this any longer, the man might not leave for good if he got even the slightest reaction from the omega.

 

Also, it was embarrassing to stay any longer. Because, in all honesty, he couldn’t comprehend why his dorm mates were all acting like rutting alphas. Well, they are, hormonal young alphas after all, but if a bunch of omegas could cause them to act like this, he worried about their future outside campus. They might not even try to control themselves, the mere thoughts sent shivers down his spine.

 

And, Taeyong… Sure, the omega he was aiming was attractive, but she was definitely not the prettiest in the group. At least, she was not beautiful enough to cause this kind of commotion. Which was why he was still confused as to why they were still here.

 

‘What? You fucking kidding me? This is my chance!’ Taeyong hissed, still trying to maintain his cool. He realized the man was also trying to intensify his pheromones but before he could comment on that, someone from their group suddenly made way towards the omegas, shocking the others.

 

‘You guys need help?’ the man offered, boldly walking towards the bench and sat with them. Seungcheol could hear his friend clicked his tongue in annoyance, sensing a fight was on the way. Not wanting to deal with any complicated situation, Seungcheol tapped his friend and pushed him slightly so the upset man would start walking away. Looking back, he saw the shameless guy sitting with the omega group, laughing as the omegas started chatting with him, secretly admiring his courage to do so.

 

He wondered where that confidence came from. He would never even thought about approaching omegas like that. Because, maybe it was just him being territorial but if some stranger just suddenly decided to sit with his group uninvited, he would not be as welcoming as the omegas. He wondered if omegas are like that by nature, overly friendly towards other people just like Woo Ri…

 

Woo Ri.

 

How was she anyway? He wondered how many new friends she already made. If she enjoyed her orientation like he was…

 

He missed her. It had been three days since their last phone call. His messages were also left unanswered…

 

‘You, don’t know who that was, do ya?’ Taeyong’s question broke him from his thoughts. Seungcheol shook his head lightly, still facing up front. He thought the omega was someone famous, considering she turned so many heads. ‘That’s fucking Jeonghan! The write of that book… What’s the name again? Uh…’ the taller of the two held his head, trying to recall.

 

‘Owh… a celebrity…’ he murmured, not really interested. However, he thought he heard the name wrong, ‘Jeonghan? A guy?’ He asked, and the annoyed ‘duh’ from his friend surprised him.

 

So the omega was a male omega, a pretty male omega. It certainly made sense that he got so many attention because although for a female he would be average, for a male he was really, really beautiful. ‘I really thought he was a she.’

 

‘Heol. Coups, you really need to watch TV or read books. What do you even do on your free time anyway?’ His friend asked as they finally reached the rest of their group. Slightly running as a respond to their seniors calling them, Seungcheol replied, ‘Gym,’ earning him a playful punch from the other male.

 

Taeyong was right. Though Seungcheol doubt he would spend his free time stuck in front of the television, he agreed that he needed to at least keep up with current news.

 

At least, so he would not confuse pretty males with females anymore.

 

*****

 

Too focused on solving the puzzle to notice the alphas’ scents, it took a few excited catcalls to finally get Jeonghan to turn his head around. Greeted by the sheepish smiles of some of his teammates, the male omega peeked behind them. A group of alphas were passing through, probably being guided around campus by their respective seniors. Jeonghans’s dormitory had theirs yesterday together with a few other groups from different parts of campus that they bumped into, but those alpha/beta groups weren’t as annoying as these ones. He wondered which department this group was from.

 

Done observing the group, he returned back to the puzzle, determined to solve it as soon as possible. There were three wooden blocks they had to assemble, they had only succeeded in solving one in fifteen minutes. He really wanted to be done with it so he can return to his room, and eat. All this running was draining him out.

 

‘Seriously?’ He sighed when he noticed his teammates were not even trying anymore. Instead, they were giggling while poking the block, as if turning it around and simply stacking them would help. Lifting his head up to warn them, Jeonghan’s eyes caught two figures standing a few distance from his group. One of them suddenly got excited while pointing at him before trying to act cool, which somehow Jeonghan found amusing, considering his already tall stature and handsome face. To his right, another man slightly shorter than the other with a more muscular build had his eyes squinted as he tried to scan around. As soon as he spotted Jeonghan, and their eyes met, the man smiled. Sweetly.

 

Wait, he knew that smile. He saw it somewhere before…

 

That dimple… those eyes…

 

That alpha!

 

That pretty alpha he saw a few years back. The pretty alpha with a pretty smile. He almost couldn’t recognize the man since his face changed a bit from back then. If his memory served him correctly, the alpha was sweet-looking. Now, he looked more… manly.

 

…but to think that he remembered that face from a few years ago…

 

Finding his mouth curved upwards involuntarily, Jeonghan broke their eye contact and hid his face, feeling his cheeks warmed up. Frowning in confusion, the omega again, tried to look at the alpha. The man now had his body turned sideways, his left hand covering his mouth, his eyebrows curved upwards in a fail attempt to cover his laughter.

 

Fuck he is cute.

 

Jeonghan wanted a taste of him.

 

Just a taste. Enough to stop this weird tingly feelings he usually have when he fancy someone. A night would be enough to stop his desire.

 

… well, most of the time.

 

‘You guys need help?’ The sudden voice, loud enough to signify the position of the person near the group interrupted him. Based on the scent, it was obvious one of the alphas broke away from his group to try his hands on one of them. Feeling his mood completely destroyed as the alpha took a seat beside him, uninvited, Jeonghan gave him a side-eye before completely ignoring him to return to his puzzle. Probably liking the cold treatment he was getting in comparison to the excited squeals of his team members, the blond man turned his body towards the disinterested omega.

 

‘Owh, this puzzle.’ He took the wooden pieces in front of Jeonghan and started to place them accurately on top of each other, smirking as he took the final two pieces from Jeonghan and completing the puzzle. The arrogant smug, he wanted to wipe it off so badly. The others lifting his ego by whining about the damn thing made the situation almost unbearable. Not wanting to entertain the alpha by arguing with him or showing interest, Jeonghan rested his head on his hand, eyes wandering around… searching for that man…

 

...he was already gone.

 

Blowing out softly, Jeonghan started to fiddle with his phone while his eyes locked with his senior. He was hoping she would ask the intruder to leave their group alone by teaching him about the game rules and what not but she didn’t care. The other two groups were stuck just like them, and another one just came. She probably just wanted someone, anyone to solve the puzzles and leave.

 

Another block was placed in his hand followed by claps and cheers of admiration, Jeonghan looked down. ‘And this, is how you do it.’ The alpha winked at him to which he replied with a smirk of his own.

 

Egoistic bastard. Owh well, at least they were done with the puzzle. There was no way he would thank the guy though, they never asked for his help, and he was just doing it to boost his ego anyway. He got what he came for, they owe him nothing. Ignoring the alpha, standing up to report to the senior to receive the next clue, he remembered something important. ‘Hey, which department?’

 

‘Engineering.’ Another wink, and this time, Jeonghan lifted his upper lips slightly, showing disgust. Without sparing another second at the place, he made his way back to their department area, where the last clue would be given.

 

Engineering eyh? At least now he knew where he could find the cute alpha.

 

And he knew the perfect chance they could meet…

 

He couldn’t wait for that day to come.

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their second meeting!! Both are equally captivated with each other but they’re not really the type who believe in love at first sight so we don’t get that with this couple. Hoho! Based on my previous fics, can you guys guess when they’re gonna actually talk to each other for the first time? Hint: party *winks*
> 
> From the past chapter, I guess we already established both character’s personality and their relationship with the other gender. To those who knew this couple from my previous fics, is this what you expected their start to be? It’s gonna get interesting soon, but I think their relationship starts slow compared to the other two, or three if you count Verkwan whose relationship is probably the one that escalated the most XD
> 
> Anyway, though it will be a slow development with a few angsty parts here and there, I hope you guys stick with me and enjoy the ride ^^
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos guys!!! I really appreciate your support!!! Love you readers so much <3<3


	4. Chapter 4

‘So how’s your first week? Excited to start?’ Jeonghan turned to look at a soft-looking male omega who took a sit beside him. The man wore a simple sweater with a cardigan, looking comfortable instead of fashionable. Somehow, it made him stand out amongst the other freshman omegas who wore the best outfit they own as the start of their new adult life on campus. Jeonghan gave him a quick smile, noticing the other looking at him while he was evaluating his outfit. The man had a gentle look on his face.

 

‘Owh, I know that look.’ With no definite answer, the gentle male commented to which Jeonghan tried to ignore, hoping he would get the hint and leave him alone. He just wanted to be alone with his mind, judging people.

 

After almost a week of socializing, the literature student decided he had enough and ignored the rest of the orientation activity. It wouldn’t actually affect his studies anyway so he need not pretend to enjoy it. Trying to act happy when he wasn’t was exhausting.

 

Though fully aware of the fact that he needed to make friends, he really didn’t feel like talking with the overly excited bunch. It uses too much social battery and he only had a few to begin with. Well, at least the guy sitting beside him didn’t look like the giddy, cheerful type so he might be left alone after a while. In fact, the man sounded really soft, and somehow sounded as if he was just asking out of concern instead of trying to force a conversation.

 

It felt weird. As if the man was a parent asking his child about his first day of school. So to speak. He wouldn’t know exactly how it supposed to be though, since he barely remembered his own experience when his father was alive and everything was good.  

 

‘What look?’ He tried to reply. It had been a while since somebody talk like that to him. The principle at the shelter used to use that tone, along with a few ahjummas so it felt really awkward to listen to it being spoken by a young man.

 

‘That face you’re making.’ Jeonghan didn’t know what to do with his face at that comment. All of a sudden he became fully aware of all the muscles on his face and tried to move them so he wouldn’t make ‘the’ face this other omega was talking about. ‘Haha, I had the same expression when I came here. You’re feeling out of place aren’t you?’

 

‘Are you a psychology major or something?’ He replied sarcastically. Maybe this guy is a know-it-all guy who was desperate to prove his intellect to every person he met. And god, those people are annoying.

 

‘Naah… you kinda remind me of someone.’ The other looked at him and Jeonghan just stared back, trying to analyze this person. He was wondering where this conversation was going. ‘Me.’ The man answered without being asked, laughing by himself. His voice was so soothing to hear Jeonghan just felt like listening, even though his joke was lame.

 

‘I didn’t know anyone here. I didn’t know the culture, didn’t get the jokes… they didn’t get mine…’ he continued before pausing and Jeonghan stared at him curiously. One, because it was interesting how he kept talking about himself without sounding too self-oriented, two because he spoke as if he was a foreigner in his own country. Or, maybe he was one of those weird otaku who speaks otaku language or whatever they speak. ‘I’m… from America in case you’re wondering.’

 

‘Ahh… Explains the accent.’ Jeonghan finally allowed himself to laugh. Of course the guy was a foreigner! He didn’t look like the weird anime-loving otaku, or whatever otaku is.

 

‘Yah, I improved a lot. It’s way better than when I first got here.’ Jeonghan smirked, trying to imagine how this pretty male sounded when he first got here. Wait, when DID he got here? Why did he sound like he had been here for a while when he looks young enough to be the same age as him?

 

‘Joshua Hong, 4th year Social Science by the way. You?’

 

‘Yoon Jeonghan. 1st year Literature.’ He took the hand that was offered to him, almost shocking himself when he momentarily thought the other could read his mind. He had to admit it, this Joshua guy seemed really different from the typical Korean in every way. From the way he talk, to his choice of words, to how he reacts, it was actually not hard to believe his story about being from America. ‘You’re a senior? You don’t look that old…’

 

‘I’m actually your age.’ Joshua stated, again with his gentle voice. It was calming. Jeonghan found himself not hating this situation despite his earlier reluctance to make friends. ‘I’m just smart, if you’re wondering.’

 

‘Heol.’ He replied jokingly, earning him a laugh from the American. Turning his whole body back to look at the group of freshman, and again towards his senior, he finally understood the situation. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be back there helping them out?’

 

‘Aren’t you supposed to be in there being herded?’

 

‘Do I have to?’ He asked playfully. He knew the answer but he just wanted to talk. It had been a while since he had a normal conversation with a stranger who didn’t know who he was. Based on Joshua’s lack of reaction at the mention of his name, he would like to think the man had no idea who he was. ‘Not really. It’ll help though.’

 

‘You’re not convincing me.’

 

‘I wasn’t planning to...’ Joshua replied nonchalantly, moving his head closer, whispering, ‘I’m just here so I can rest.’

 

‘Owh…’ Jeonghan nodded his head, turning back to look at the wall he had been staring at since before Joshua kept him company. The other seemed content with the silence which, Jeonghan was also not used to. He felt like he had to start another conversation just for the sake of talking. ‘You don’t know me?’

 

‘Are you an idol? I don’t watch TV…’ The cat-eyed omega replied apologetically which sounded sincere. Somehow everything that came out of that sweet mouth of him made Jeonghan believe him. Joshua was just, a soft, lovable puppy in his eyes. He never thought of anyone like this, not even his friends let alone a person he just met. ‘I wrote a few books.’

 

‘Owh… I only read white paper. Sorry… I’ll make sure to read your writing!’

 

‘No! It’s fine. It’s nothing to be proud of. I prefer you don’t read it.’ He somehow like the idea of making friends like this, the traditional way. Joshua seemed like a cool guy, and it’s been a years since someone asked him personal questions because they want to get to know him instead of confirming what they read about in his books. If he remembered correctly, the last time would be when he first joined the omega school. Since then, everyone were more curious about his dark past rather than who he really was. He wanted to experience that again.

 

He wondered if college is filled with people like this. Before coming here, his social circle only consists of the omegas from the shelters, the alphas he met at the clubs, and his readers, all of whom knew well about what happened to him. Meeting Joshua, he realized there are actually people like him who never even heard of the Korean boy who made the headlines for exposing his abusers.

 

Which meant, he might be able to do it, making friends.

 

Shit, now everything seemed interesting again. He couldn’t wait to officially start his college life.

 

*****

 

_Let’s stop seeing each other – Lovely Woori_

 

Seungcheol stared at the message from his girlfriend for the umpteenth time, still trying to digest reality. He already tried calling her, he left voice messages, he even sent her private messages on all her social media accounts. There was still no reply and he was left helpless and lost at the situation.

 

Rubbing his eyes, sighing to release his confusion and frustration, Seungcheol let himself fall on the bed and covered his eyes with his sleeve. He couldn’t think straight. Everything didn’t make sense. Everything felt like a dream. A bad dream he wished he would wake up from. He could hear the ringing in his ears, his cheeks vibrating from the pressure in his eyes... all his nerves were palpitating and yet he felt as if all his energy were drained out of his body.

 

He couldn’t believe it. He wanted to think that his omega sent the wrong message to him but it would make even less sense if she were to send the message to another person. Maybe she was drunk, he wanted to believe that but the night was still young that excuse wouldn’t make any sense either.

 

‘No…’ The alpha tried to convince himself one more time as he took his phone again and opened the message. This time, he scrolled up. He scrolled up to read anything he might have said wrong. Anything that might hint their break was coming. Anything, just anything at all…

 

Nothing.

 

…or maybe it was something he said to her instead of the texts? Did he say something that made her feel suffocated? The last time they talk were the start of orientation but they didn’t say much to each other…

 

…was it the calls he had been trying to make every day? Was she stressed out by that? Why? He wanted to listen to her voice, he even made the calls at night when he knew the omega was done with her own orientation.

 

Was he not even allowed to call her? She didn’t reply to his texts either so what should he have done?

 

What did he do wrong? Why was she breaking up with him? Out of the blue??

 

‘Urgh!!’ The thump of the music from the orientation party was too loud Seungcheol wanted to scream out of frustration to make it all stop. He wanted peace to calm himself but that was obviously impossible tonight. Drunkards and party animals already started to swarm their dormitory and in a few hours, he knew things would go wild.

 

Damnit. He just want to fucking sleep right now so he could fast forward to tomorrow when he hoped Woo Ri would be calm enough to give him an explanation. This could all just be a mistake and she was indeed drunk. Or maybe she needed time to gather her thoughts tonight and come tomorrow, she would realize she made a mistake. Maybe tomorrow, everything would be like nothing ever happened.

 

Staring at the ceiling, Seungcheol considered getting himself drunk instead. Well, maybe not drunk but a drink or two, enough alcohol to keep him distracted from the noise and this nightmare so he could sleep it off. They were having a party whether he likes it or not, might as well take advantage of it and drink his sorrow out. He heard it works wonders.

 

*****

 

Jeonghan looked around the alpha/beta dormitory where they were having a party. The hall was big enough to fit a few hundred people, something they didn’t have at the omega dorms, but the alpha/betas didn’t have a garden like the omegas. Also, the only thing separating the vicinity from outside was the bushes. First impression, he preferred his own dormitory where it is more secured. Not to mention, judging from the brief peek he took of the interior of one of the rooms, it was clear that the omegas had bigger rooms.

 

The party? He prefers a real club but at least there were food on the table and free drinks. Not to mention, games which looked really interesting. The people looked fun too, some actually trying to converse with each other in this loud music instead of grinding like animals, though, he knew their ultimate reason was to bang each other anyways. The night was still young, there was still a few hours before these people lose control and go wild. Jeonghan was looking forward to that.

 

Setting himself near a table furthest away from the speakers as not to hurt his eardrums with the loud music, the omega started to munch on a few chips not knowing what to do. He came here hoping to find the cute alpha he met during the race two days ago but he forgot to consider the fact that a lot of people would be here including the seniors and other visitors. He would be really lucky if he could stumble upon the man tonight.

 

With that, Jeonghan decided to forget his initial intention and just find a new target. Or maybe make some new friends. He already made up his mind not to sleep with anyone on campus as it would complicate things but if it happens tonight, he wouldn’t actually mind. Because they would all probably be too intoxicated to remember it anyway.

 

‘Hey,’ Jeonghan turned around to a tall, handsome alpha dressed equally as charming. If he were to exaggerate this situation, the man looked like a prince, or a young master from a prestigious family. Which was an exaggeration because those people wouldn’t even attend their university in the first place.

 

Smiling back as he was in the mood to socialize tonight, he studied the man’s face. He looked a bit familiar. ‘Yoon Jeonghan right? Lee Taeyong. Engineering major.’

 

Owh, that was it. He was the one with that alpha that day. So, he was lucky after all. On the other hand, Jeonghan felt like talking with this guy more since he seemed nice, somehow giving off the ‘Joshua’ vibe. Maybe he will ask about the other guy later, or he might just spend the rest of the night with this Taeyong guy, talking or playing games. He was no longer feeling the butterflies for that other alpha anyway, he just came here for the sake of it.

 

 

Turned out Taeyong was really an interesting guy. Contrary to his playboy appearance, the alpha was really a hopeless romantic, dreaming of finding his fated omega and having a family. A typical soft alpha wanting to protect his omega, Jeonghan imagined how lucky that omega would be. Not that he wanted to be the one, he wouldn’t be able to survive being pampered and treated like what Taeyong described…

 

‘Hey babe, you actually came.’ Jeonghan felt his hand being pulled from behind, with a force enough to turn his body towards another alpha. Feeling a bit pissed by the action and the sudden interruption, he pulled his hand back and returned his attention to Taeyong, completely ignoring the bastard.

 

A hand sneaked around his waist, catching the omega off guard. Before he could react, ‘Hey, what’re you doing?’ Taeyong called the man out. The action though, only cause the other to tighten his hold as he pulled Jeonghan closer to him. ‘What the fuck?’

 

‘He’s mine.’ The guy answered to Taeyong, completely disregarding his protest and struggle, as if he wasn’t there. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Jeonghan turned to look at the rude bastard. It was him, the shameless alpha who solved their puzzle that day. Did he fucking thought solving a fucking puzzle gave him the right to claim him? Who the hell did he think he is?

 

‘Let him go Bobby. He’s not into you.’ Taeyong warned, causing the Bobby guy to scoff like it was the most absurd thing he ever heard. The former now looked really angry, his complexion differed so much from the gentle alpha Jeonghan was talking to a few minutes ago. Getting tired of being here, the omega pushed his attacker away, and as he did, he was pulled towards the alpha in front of him.

 

‘Fuck this shit.’ Jeonghan cursed as he felt the two intense pheromones starting to form. Both the alphas were still holding onto him, but they weren’t looking at him. They were no longer interested in him. They were challenging each other, and Jeonghan just became their reward.

 

This was exactly why he had his no-student rule. Young alphas are too proud, too hormonal, too naive. Just look at these two little shits, fighting over him as if he would be with whoever wins the damned fight. As if.

 

Without warning, Jeonghan felt his whole body pulled back again as Bobby made his move to push his rival down. The latter didn’t budge, but the fight was already getting physical they would start punching each other in a few moments. Crowds were starting to gather and Jeonghan would really love to just leave the two alone, if not for the fucking grip the bastard still have on his right wrist.

 

There was no fucking way he would stick around here any longer. He didn’t need this shit. He needed to find a way to escape.

 

Looking around, Jeonghan spotted the punch bowl. It was obviously still filled with the beverage, but that could easily be solved. He didn’t care if he had to spill the content, the bowl was made from glass, and the weight was perfect enough to be used as a weapon. Jeonghan took a few moments to rethink about his plan. He really didn’t want to make a scene at the beginning of his new college life but, this fucker was out of control and there were now a lot of witness who would back him up so…

 

…this Bobby bastard is dead.

 

*****

 

Seungcheol inhaled deeply as he made his way down towards the hall. Not that he was expecting anything less but being in the room filled with strangers who didn’t even care about anyone but themselves really depressed him. Even more than he already was. It made him feel like nobody even cared about what was happening to him albeit being fully aware that they wouldn’t know it in the first place, because they didn’t know him.

 

It was just, he felt alone.

 

In a room filled with people, he felt forgotten.

 

He felt invisible.

 

Biting the inner wall of his lower lip, Seungcheol wasted no time in making his way towards the corner of the hall, where he was certain they placed the alcohols. Unfortunately for him, everything was already opened and there was no sign of new cans to be supplied any time soon. Clenching his jaws in disappointment, he looked around for another table, this time surveying it from afar so that he wouldn’t waste his energy walking among these intoxicated people having to push them around. Again disappointed, he finally decided to go towards the very back of the hall, where he was confident there would still be some cans left because, there weren’t that many people from the look of it.

 

Wait, there were more people than he thought. They were just not hanging around the table, which explained his prior impression.

 

Not minding the situation, the desperate alpha made his way between the audiences before noticing the strong scents dueling in the air. Some guys were already getting into fights it seemed. He was about to ignore the whole thing for his beer before realizing that he recognized the scent. Actually, both the scents were familiar to him. Now a bit curious, Seungcheol took a peek towards the two figures.

 

Taeyong and Bobby. Why the hell were they fighting?

 

‘He-‘ Seungcheol was about to interrupt the fight before Bobby forcefully pulled another male behind him, so hard the man actually hit the table. And merely based on the difference in strength, he knew right away the third man was an omega.

 

‘What the fuck?’ he thought out loud, finding the whole thing absurd. The omega was struggling to break free, obviously hurt by the tight grip and yet, his captor didn’t even care. In fact, Bobby’s squeeze became tighter as he was starting to be aggravated by his rival the omega actually whimpered in pain.

 

Though Seungcheol initially planned on minding his own business and get what he came here for, he really couldn’t stand this sight. Just imagining his own omega brother being treated like that pissed him off. How the hell could someone treat an omega like that, knowing fully well their strengths? Alphas are supposed to protect omegas, not hurt them!

 

Suddenly finding himself between the two, Seungcheol grabbed Bobby’s hand, loudly announcing his presence by a warning.

 

‘Let him go.’

 

 

 _To be continued_ …

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah for cliffhangers XD I know this isn’t an exciting chapter since they don’t have any interaction just yet but I promise, they’ll have a lot more than your normal interaction in the next ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> I didn’t plan on writing a cliffhanger but Joshua just, talk too much the chapter became longer than planned so I had to split it into two part XD Blame Josh guys! Haha!
> 
>  
> 
> By the way, I wrote this thinking Taeyong is actually really tall, like Mingyu but turns out he’s shorter than Hannie >.< Just for the sake of imagining though, let’s pretend he’s actually taller okay? And Bobby too, just because. Coups though… he can be the same height as Hannie. Gahaha!
> 
> Anyway, thank you for leaving kudos and leaving comments guys! Since it’s only been a few weeks since I first started, I was expecting less support so I’m really happy to get notifications from you dear readers! Love you so much! <3<3


	5. Chapter 5

 

‘Let him go.’ He warned and as Seungcheol hoped, the distracted man turned towards him, now fully giving his undivided attention.

 

‘The fuck you want huh?!’ Bobby threatened, still giving off his strong pheromones. He could feel his friend Taeyong doing the same, not appreciating his interference in their power feud however right now, the man was not his concern. Bobby was the biggest problem. He wasn’t planning on fighting over the omega’s approval, he just wanted Bobby to let the omega go so he could feel at ease and go get his beer in peace.

 

‘He’s hurt.’

 

‘What? You’re not his alpha. Mind your fucking business.’ the irritated alpha growled. With no reaction from Seungcheol and his rival, the male smirked as he looked pass Seungcheol towards the omega. He obviously thought he succeeded in demonstrating his strength and superiority amongst the three alphas. Maybe he did, maybe the omega enjoyed the performance. He wouldn’t know since the other gender are very complicated.

 

To confirm his suspicion, he glanced towards the weaker male and studied his expression briefly. Pretty omega was indeed, not enjoying the harsh treatment. In fact the man looked very angry. He had his free hand settled on a punch bowl, gripping it tightly seemingly to hold the pain. That was when he realized Bobby was still squeezing him tight.

 

‘He’s not yours either. Let him go.’ He warned again, now more serious than before. He could sense things were getting dangerous as Bobby started to pull the omega close but before he could, Seungcheol twisted the latter’s hand, causing him to scream in pain before releasing his grip. He heard the man behind him inhaled deeply from relief but decided not to look. As long as he was free, Seungcheol felt his job was done. Now he needed to focus on Bobby who was cursing at him, trying to punch his face. He didn’t have a good reflex so he knew he would get hit. Still, he lifted his hand in hope he would somehow be able to block the punch, moving his face slightly, as much as he could before the impact.

 

Seungcheol closed his eyes.

 

…the hit never came. Taeyong, now broken from his trance stopped Bobby’s attack just in time, much to his appreciation.

 

‘Stop or I’m reporting you for harassment.’ Taeyong hissed, which, to both male’s surprise, calmed Bobby down, although still aggravated. Releasing his hold on the angry alpha, Seungcheol kept their eyes locked. He was not backing down, and now with Taeyong backing him, Bobby was definitely in the losing team.

 

‘Fucking losers.’ Aware of his situation, the alpha finally decided to give up and leave the two friends, stomping his legs as he made his way through the crowd. The people around them kept silent, still in awe, but with the music now louder than before as the party started to reach its peak, the awkward atmosphere was fixed in no time.

 

‘Coups, you’re quite a man aren’t ya?’ His friend hit his upper arm lightly and Seungcheol finally let his guard down. He didn’t notice how tensed he was until he felt his muscles relaxed. ‘Fucker… things were going so well with Jeonghan…’

 

Jeonghan…? The omega?

 

…Shit, the omega!

 

Seungcheol swiftly turned his body around as he finally remembered to check on the omega. He didn’t actually think it through but it was weird that Bobby left them alone without a fight. He might have another plan for the omega which was why he was eager to leave. Everything would be in vain if the man stumbled upon Bobby again, he was worried something worse was going to happen. Regrettably for him, the omega was already no longer in sight. He had no idea where the man could be either.

 

Seungcheol could only wish the man safely made his way back to his room, or be hidden somewhere far from Bobby.

 

‘Shit Coups, didn’t know you’re that strong…’ Taeyong finally broke his concern. Smiling at his friend who was now back to his normal self, Seungcheol shook his head humbly. He has strength, but that was the only thing he could do. He didn’t have the agility to fight unlike Bobby so had they been in a brawl, he would be defeated on the floor in no time. Which was why he chose to stand his ground, ending the aggression without violence once he set his mind into it. It usually work with alphas as pheromone duels would suffice but for betas, it would annoy them. Which, was the reason he decided to build his muscles - to look intimidating.

 

Why he put all the effort to perfect this skill? Because he had found himself in danger a few times in the past from jealousy. He had the prettiest girl in town, everyone wanted her. And among them, there were those who think he was in the way and decided to remove him.

 

Guess, he wouldn’t have to do it anymore because they were no longer together…

 

Now depressed again from remembering his heartbreak, Seungcheol patted his friend’s shoulder a few times to indicate his leave before taking the few cans of beer from the floor. Looking around, he started to think that maybe, he would enjoy being down here instead of up there alone. At least, the loud music will stimulate his senses to distract him from his problem…

 

Yeah. Maybe he should try to enjoy himself at the party. Who the hell cares if nobody know him?

 

Woo Ri knew him, but even she didn’t care about him. Not anymore. So what difference does it makes to be here or in his room? Nobody cares either way.

 

Nobody cares.

 

*****

 

Jeonghan threw the glass bowl on the ground, watching as the bowl bounced on the floor without breaking. He was a bit disappointed that the thing didn’t shatter into pieces but imagining that Bobby’s head being hit by it, and owh how painful it would be to be hit by the thick glass without it shattering, he felt a bit satisfied.

 

And annoyed.

 

If it hadn’t been for that cedarwood alpha, he would already have his vengeance on the damned alpha bastard. The fucking bastard dared to manhandle him so roughly. If he ever see him again, Jeonghan would not hesitate to hurt him.

 

Owh he could. Because of his infamous past and his achievements, he could hurt that bastard’s reputation real bad he wouldn’t be able to recover from it. Not that Jeonghan ever did it to anyone but he was sure he could do it if he wanted to. He knew the neighbourhood police officers, he knew some people downtown who would lie and hurt others for him, he could create a perfect crime and pin it to the guy if he wanted to.

 

Of course, shattering his brain would be more satisfying as it takes less time but boy, the idea of him being behind bars was just as tempting. Maybe he shoul-

 

‘Damnit.’ Jeonghan’s eyes widened in shock as he realized what he was doing. He was starting to have those unhealthy dark thoughts again. Frowning, he took deep breaths to calm himself, trying to recompose himself. He need to stop doing so before it starts to affect his life.

 

‘Think of puppies and rainbows…’ he repeated to himself, half sarcastically as he wasn’t fully convinced that the method would work. But he had no other choice so he did it anyway. He really wanted to stop this kind of thoughts as it scared even himself. He used to be so innocent, never wishing those horrible things to happen to people, let alone having detailed ideas on how to execute them. Sure, he never liked people but not liking them and wishing them misfortune are two different things.

 

Despite what happened to him, Jeonghan was never this sadistic…

 

But… he was never a lot of things. And now he was.

 

Jeonghan knew very well that as time goes by, he would only turn out for the worse. He could imagine how fucked up he would become years to come. It scared him, it always has but there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was not something he could control. He used to think he could recover from his trauma by religiously seeing his therapist for consultations and taking his medicine regularly, but he still turned out this way.

 

They were never able cure him, and they never will.

 

The only thing he could do at this point was to distract himself. The more he was left alone with his own thoughts, the worse he would get. And throughout the years, Jeonghan found that the best distraction for him was alphas.

 

They are the only ones able to keep him occupied, mentally and physically. Their scents enveloping him in passion, their bodies bringing him to cloud nine, their presence giving him security… he could lose himself completely with alphas and not think of anything else other than making the alphas crazy for him. The more desperate they get, the more they try to prove themselves by pleasuring him. The more he tease them, the better he felt.

 

Yes, alphas are the best medicine for him.

 

Which was why he would go back inside and find himself one to fuck tonight.

 

*****

 

Seungcheol leaned against the table, looking at the dark sky while sipping his beer once in a while. He tried dancing, thinking he could immerse himself completely like other people but he didn’t know how to move. Everything felt awkward and it didn’t make him feel any better so he stopped. He couldn’t get into the games either, not being enthusiastic enough, so after giving it a light thought, the alpha decided he would just get drunk alone outside. At least the music weren’t as muffled as it was from his room which was actually more annoying.

 

A bit curious whether Woo Ri finally replied to him, Seungcheol felt around in his back pocket before realizing he left his phone in his room. Sighing and laughing in relief, he let his head fall down on the table, no longer feel like drinking. The dark sky, probably filled with stars which couldn’t be seen, was very mesmerizing to the heartbroken man. Just staring at it, he found himself lost completely, no longer hearing the bad music from the party nor seeing the people making out around him.

 

Somehow he felt tranquil.

 

‘…-ey you!’ A somewhat annoyed voice heard near his left ear brought him back to reality. On his left he could see a figure standing, and seeing that it wasn’t moving, it was clear that person was talking to him. It was an omega, based on the lavender scent. He couldn’t make up the face as he needed to readjust his sight but he knew it was a female from the hairstyle.

 

‘What?’ He asked, confused as to why she was pissed.

 

‘I didn’t need your fucking help.’

 

‘Help? I didn’t…’ He didn’t do anything to annoy a lady recently. She must be drunk. ‘You’re mistaken.’

 

‘You think I don’t recognize your scent? Who’re you kidding?’ Finally able to recompose himself from the sudden attack, Seungcheol realized that the voice, though high, belonged to a man. And now able to see clearly, he confirmed his thought. Moreover, the man appeared to be Jeonghan, the omega Taeyong was crazy about which meant it was the omega he helped a few minutes ago.

 

Which meant, the omega wasn’t mistaken and he might just have pissed the omega more.

 

Although… he had no idea why this guy would be angry at him instead of thanking him. Was he mistaken in reading the situation? Was the guy interested in Bobby after all and he interrupted their weird courting session??

 

‘Uh, sorry? I didn’t know you liked him…’ He tried to ease the situation, although half-heartedly. Honestly, if the man wanted Bobby he could just go to him right now instead of blaming him, Seungcheol thought. He was really not in the mood to be yelled at.

 

‘Wha- owh. It’s you…’ Seungcheol gulped at the sudden closeness. The omega had their faces just inches from each other.

 

 

Jeonghan shifted his position in front of the alpha, bending down to appear threatening before realizing who he was. He didn’t recognize the man when the alphas were fighting, he didn’t take a good look at the new alpha as he was too busy being pushed around and getting angry at the other two. He only recognized the alpha’s distinct scent which was why he came to here in the first place to vent out his frustration.

 

Somehow it seemed, he and this cute guy were weirdly connected.

 

Come to think of it, this might be his chance to get what he first came here for. He came here to find the cute dimple guy in the first place but got mixed up in the stupid rivalry. Now the guy was right in front of him, and he was in need of an alpha. Everything just circled back to where it started.

 

Yeah. He should give this alpha a chance to fix his mood. But first, he needed to shift this awkward atmosphere to a more pleasant one. Softly, he replied calmly, ‘I, don’t like him. I got everything under control…’

 

‘I’m sure…’ The man answered but he knew it was with a sarcastic intent. Although, he _did_ have everything under control; he was going to break Bobby’s head if not for the sudden interruption. Clearing his throat, he reminded the alpha, ‘I don’t owe you anything. Just to be clear.’

 

He stared at those big brown eyes, leaning in even more. ‘But thanks anyway,’ he whispered, noticing how tensed the alpha was at his teasing. So innocent. ‘Yoon Jeonghan.’

 

‘Choi Seungcheol…’ the alpha answered nervously, and Jeonghan couldn’t help but find that cute. Helping himself beside Seungcheol who moved away further than needed, he mimicked the man’s action and placed his head on the table, staring at the sky. He wondered what the guy was doing just staring at nothing. From the corner of his eyes, the omega noticed the other kept sipping from his can, not knowing what to do. Thinking of something mischievous, he smirked to himself. ‘The sex pheromones are really strong right?’

 

‘Uhuk!!’ Seungcheol coughed his beer, struggling to breathe. As he tried to calm himself, he looked around and finally noticed all the couples making out around them. On the bench in front of them, an alpha had an omega pinned beneath him and they were already getting ready to fuck, too drunk to care about being in public. Of course, they were a bit secluded from the party to begin with but there were still a few other couples here so they were technically, still in public.

 

‘Can I have one?’ Jeonghan asked, pointing to the other two cans Seungcheol had beneath the bench. The former had no idea why the man was drinking alone outside but it made things easier for him as there were less rivals and pursuers alike. Grabbing the one offered, he proceeded in opening the can, making sure to tilt it slightly so the content spilled on the alpha’s pants, shocking him. Apologizing in ‘panic’, he knelt in between his legs, pretending to help clean it up. As he hoped, the moment he looked back up, Seungcheol became tensed. But amusingly, his eyes were traveling left and right quickly, not knowing where to look. There was no mistaken, the alpha either had no experience being hit on, or he had no experience with a male. Either way, that turned the long-haired male on even more.

 

‘Owh no, what should we do? I’ll wash your pants!’ He rubbed around, pretending to find something to dry the beer off.

 

‘It’s fine. Uh-‘

 

‘No, really. I’ll do it. Do you, wanna change into a new pair? Gosh, your room’s here right?’

 

‘Really it’s-‘ Jeonghan was about to cut the man off before the alpha suddenly stopped speaking and intensified his scent, which caught the former off-guard. Seungcheol went beside him, closed their distance and whispered, ‘You, wanna hang out upstairs?’

 

‘I, sure…’ he smirked in triumph. That was easier than expected.

 

*****

 

Seungcheol looked over a few times, wondering what to do now that he had Jeonghan safe in his room. Deep inside, he regretted his decision in bringing the man here in the first place.

 

He didn’t know what got over him that made him want to protect this guy but when he saw Bobby lurking around outside, he became so nervous, concerned about the omega’s safety and without thinking further, offered Jeonghan to come to his room. His freaking room! Thankfully, the pretty man didn’t seem to mind and went along with him.

 

Which brought them here. In his room. Just sitting on the bed not doing anything.

 

‘You have a nice room…’ Jeonghan broke the silence by commenting on the interior, an action which made him aware of everything he threw around. He didn’t expect company so he didn’t care to keep the room clean. Suddenly noticing his boxers lying around, right beneath the desk, Seungcheol almost jumped grabbing it and throwing it into the bathroom. ‘It’s a bit messy…’

 

The guest decided not to comment on that.

 

Still having no clue what he should do to ease the tension, Seungcheol decided to run away for now, into the bathroom. Grabbing a new pair of jeans, he let the omega know of his plan before hurrying inside.

 

When he got back out, he saw Jeonghan already lying on his bed. He had his whole body sideways, exhibiting his beautiful body line with hair behind to reveal his smooth neck.

 

He was… breathtaking.

 

Wait, what? Why was he eyeing the guy like this? What was wrong with him? Shit, he must be a bit drunk right now because obviously, he was never attracted to guys, even if the guy is an omega. So this, this ‘attraction’ was proof enough he was not in his right mind.

 

He need to leave. ‘I, uh-, I-I’ll let you rest.’

 

‘Huh? Wait.’ Jeonghan turned around, confused by that reaction. The alpha just offered to leave and let him rest in his room. Did he just heard right? ‘I’m not really tired. I mean, I can leave if you want.’

 

‘No, sleep. I mean, uh, yeah. Whatever you’re doing.’ Yes, let the man sleep here. He can go hang out at Taeyong’s instead. As soon as possible. Damn the room was getting hot. Why was he finding Jeonghan so fucking hot right now? Owh god why was he walking towards him right now?

 

 

Jeonghan decided to get rid of the teasing and be a bit bolder tonight. Apparently this alpha was a bit immune to his attack. He even opened the window to let the sex pheromones sip in while intensifying his own as an invitation. Was this man really oblivious or just dumb? He shouldn’t be a virgin, because who wouldn’t want to bang him?

 

‘You wanna sit down, alpha?’ He breathed in the man’s ear, their body almost touching as he cornered the nervous male between the door and himself. Seungcheol tried to reject the offer but just a bite on the lobe and the alpha almost fell on his knees. The male quickly made his way to the bed and without any question, sat down, like a good puppy. It seem, this guy is easy to control.

 

‘Holy fuck.’ Seungcheol whimpered as soon as Jeonghan straddled him, pushing him on the bed hard. The lustful omega wasted no time in attacking those red lips, not allowing any more sound to be made except moans and whimpers of pleasure. Pushing his tongue inside, he whined softly as Seungcheol suddenly joined him in fight for dominance.

 

And before he could even start his attack on the man’s muscular chest, Jeonghan gasped as he was flipped over, now pinned beneath the alpha, stunning him momentarily.

 

‘Owh god…’ another sound escaped his mouth as Seungcheol suddenly became as aggressive as he was moments ago. It seemed his plan finally worked and the man was finally defeated by his natural instinct. After all, no alphas can fight omegas’ call to breed, not even this blunt guy.

_Bzzz. Bzzz._

 

‘Unhh!’ The kisses slowly but harshly made their way down towards his chest and Jeonghan could only hold his voice in from the intense pleasure. He didn’t want to make so much noise as it embarrass him and it shows his submission, his weakness. Whenever he was not in control, not dominating the war of passion, he tries to stay silent. Fortunately, it usually motivates the alphas more so it meant double win for him.

_Bzzz. Bzzz._

 

Jeonghan frowned as the ringing and vibration kept continuing, distracting him from their intense make-out session. Feeling annoyed, he lifted his head and turn around to look at the phone. Another two sets of ringing and now the alpha did the same, searching for his phone. Based on his facial expression though, it was clear that he was more interested in continuing their fucking instead of answering the call so Jeonghan was sure Seungcheol only planned on switching his phone off. And so, still wrapping his legs around the latter’s waist, he waited for the chance to turn their position around so he could return to be in control.

 

Any moment now. Seungcheol just rejected the call…

 

Jeonghan grabbed the man on top of him and twisted his body, shocking the alpha whose phone fell down on the floor. Continuing where they left off, he imitated what the man did to him by attacking his clavicles. His hands were already exploring Seungcheol’s hard abs before….

 

‘Aahk!’ He was thrown on the floor. Glaring at the other male accusingly, he hissed, ‘What the hell??’

 

‘I’m sorry… I can’t…’

 

‘You fucking kidding me right? What the fuck??’ Bullshit. What the hell? One minute he was like a hungry beast feasting on his food and the next he was playing the innocent card. He couldn’t believe this guy was such a pain in the ass. Seriously what the fuck? They were both already fucking hard!!!

 

‘I, shit, Jeonghan sorry. I didn-,’ Seungcheol stuttered as he tried to find a word, trying to apologize and ease Jeonghan’s anger, ‘I have a girlfriend…’

 

‘You’re kidding right?’ Jeonghan scoffed at the statement. What a pathetic excuse to reject him. Did he even think about his girlfriend when he invited him to his room? What’s the use of mentioning her after they marked each other and almost fuck? If he really cared about her, they wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. What a fucking jerk!

 

‘Jeongha-‘

 

‘Save it bastard.’ Jeonghan stood up, taking his leather jacket on the floor and stomped right out of the door without sparing a glance. He just wasted his fucking time trying to get with such a pathetic alpha. This was all a mistake.

 

‘Fuck!!’ he growled as he kicked the wall in frustration. He cock was still hard, his hole already wet and pulsating, and the suffocating sex-filled atmosphere wasn’t helping his situation at all. He was wearing a light jeans for god's sake! If the stains didn’t show, it would soon. How the hell should he relief himself in this strange dormitory? It was not as if they have a public toilet on this floor where he could do masturbate at! The only ones were on the first floor but that would be filled with other people. He didn’t want to attract some random alphas either, they would start to challenge each other and he was done with fights.

 

The lounge! Every floor should have a lounge, at least if the interior is the same as their own dormitory.

 

Walking towards the very end of the floor, Jeonghan forcefully pushed the door, almost cursing again as he saw a few people inside. Scanning around the room quickly, contemplating whether he should threaten them to leave, he heard a familiar voice which broke him from his irritated state.

 

‘Jeonghan?’ It was that alpha, the one he met downstairs. Taeyong.

 

Fuck it. He was fucking wet right now he just needed a release. And this guy clearly has a thing for him. His choice was clear. Who cares if they do it in front of these other people, once they get into it, the others will leave.

 

‘Hey Tae,’ he called authoritatively, throwing away his jacket and loosening his jeans, ‘let’s fuck.’

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's a twist! Things were getting hot right? *fans myself* You thought they were gonna do it, didn't you? Ohohohooo! 
> 
> So... Coups rejected Hannie T_T But just so you know, Coups’s wallpaper is of him and Woo Ri which is why he suddenly said know after rejecting the call (which was not from the girl). If I write about this, the chapter will be too long so I skipped it xD But really, this guy's loyal! 
> 
> Don't worry though, Jeongcheol going to happen!
> 
> Also, I couldn't post this earlier like I said ^^;; I thought I was done with half but this chapter is longer than I thought! 
> 
> As usual, please do share me what you think of the chapter and Jeongcheol!! I'd love to hear it!
> 
> Thanks for reading dearss ❤️❤️


	6. Chapter 6

Still no new message from Woo Ri. Although a bit disappointed, Seungcheol did not feel as bad as he felt a few weeks ago. It was obvious their break was real, and Woo Ri did not have any plans to stay in contact with each other. After all they went through together as a couple, the omega did not even give them the honour of staying as friends…

 

Seungcheol was still hurt by it. But he was trying to move on. Sure, he still have hopes of reconciliation, they were together for almost six years. A month was not enough to erase their memories together. And truth be told, he still couldn’t accept it completely but at least he did not feel as obsessed over her any more. Apart from the checking her Instagram and Twitter updates every hour, he finally let himself enjoy his new life as a college student. Their parting was not perfect, with lots of unanswered questions, but the alpha learned to let go bit by bit. He realized how pathetic he was becoming once he saw how Taeyong kept obsessing over Jeonghan since that night. Fortunately for him, Woo Ri made her cut clean, and so, unlike his friend who thought he shared something special with the male omega, it was easier for Seungcheol to move on.

 

Baby steps.

 

‘He finally talked to me!’ Taeyong punched him on the shoulder before taking his place on against the door. The owner of the room would be leaving for his part-time job in a few minutes so the man knew well enough not to make himself comfortable on the bed. Turning his head towards his friend, Seungcheol decided to entertain himself with the details. Despite how pathetic he was being, the obsession Taeyong had for this omega was intriguing.  It made him wonder what the man wrote in his book, or what people know about the author that made them thirsty for more.

 

‘He’s the ideal omega man! You know, I thought he’d never even look at people like us but,’ Taeyong smirked, pointing at himself, ‘I got him.’

 

‘Really? Is he a young master or something?’ Seungcheol decided to ignore the sudden confidence from the other. Albeit his own wonderful background and good looks, his friend is one of the most down-to-earth person he ever knew which was why, this was amusing to hear. Upon hearing that question, the guest, befuddled, stood up straight and stared at him, ‘Seriously? You didn’t even Google him? Coups! I told you he’s a famous author!’

 

‘I… don’t read?’

 

‘Abuse, man! He’s been looking for an alpha since,’ Seungcheol could feel all the blood leaving his body as soon as he heard the first word. He read about a few of those cases in the paper and internet, but he never actually met someone in real life who had actually been through abuse. This had always been one of those things that he knew was real, but felt as like a myth; like kidnapping or, winning a lottery. Until it happens nearby or to people he knew, he basically found it difficult to empathize with it at all. But right now, not only did it did happen, it happened to someone he knew, a man he almost slept with even! All the feeling he should have felt came flooding in – fear, disbelief, sympathy, everything. His brain just suddenly became empty.

 

‘He’s weak and helpless and needs protection. He just awakens the alpha in me. He’s perfect…’

 

‘Heh,’ he tried to laugh it off, hoping his pale face was not too obvious. ‘You’re messed up man.’

 

‘Yah! I’m not! I don’t mean it in a weird way Coups! All I’m saying is, I found someone I wanna protect so badly. That don’t happen very often ‘kay?’ Taeyong placed his hands on both side of his head, showing his distress from the weird implications coming from his friend, who only shrugged his shoulders as he laughed to reveal his gums.

 

Looking at his wall clock, Seungcheol almost cursed as he turned to get his bag from the bed. If he didn’t go now, he would be late for his job. ‘Tae, let’s continue later. Need to go now.’

 

*****

 

The clock ticked slowly as Seungcheol washed the cups, finding himself almost bored with the chore. His hands were aching to take out his phone and check out if there was any updates from his ex-lover but doing so would defeat all the purpose of him getting jobs and busying himself with club activities in the first place. He shouldn’t start slacking off or that would become his new habit. Looking for something to distract himself instead, he chose to ponder about the omega his friend was obsessed over.

 

He wondered what happened with Jeonghan which made Taeyong want to protect him so much. Based on what he saw that night, despite knowing the man’s dark past, he found the omega far from weak and helpless. Jeonghan definitely knew what he wanted. In fact, Seungcheol thought the omega was a bit… scary actually. Obviously he didn’t tell his friend about their ‘little’ make-out session before the omega stormed off and ended up sleeping with Taeyong, but he was definitely not the innocent type who needs protection from all those ‘bad alphas’.  Unlike his Woo Ri who-

 

‘Coups, we need you at the machine.’ His senior’s voice broke his trail of thoughts and Seungcheol quickly closed the tap before taking his position behind the counter. Already waiting in a line were the customers waiting for their take-outs. Nodding his head as an acknowledgement to his colleague, he made way for the girl to move past him to the back, seemingly to answer a very important call. A few minutes of mending the espresso machine, making sweet beverages, the girl came back to apologize and announce her sudden leave. He replied with another nod and a smile. Seungcheol really didn’t mind taking over, the job requires him to focus instead of having his thoughts astray which was what he wanted in the first place.

 

Reading the new order on the tablet placed in front of him, the alpha found himself momentarily frozen as he caught a familiar scent on one of the customer. Realizing it was actually only a lingering scent on an alpha, he let out a soft sigh of relief.

 

Of course it wouldn’t be his ex-lover. She wouldn’t be too stupid to visit him here. She knew he works here, she wouldn’t entice him like this. She was too good for that. ‘Caramel macchiato and-‘

 

Seungcheol’s heart dropped.

 

He wasn’t mistaken. It was Woo Ri’s scent after all. It was her lingering scent.

 

He knew the customer. The guy was from the same university as her. She uploaded pictures with him a few times with captions signifying ‘normal friends’. He stalked him once, the alpha had a hot, model girlfriend.

 

But Seungcheol was positive he wasn’t mistaken about this.

 

They slept together.

 

They knew each other for less than a month and already-

 

‘Hey man?’ Seungcheol jumped a bit at the call, bowing slightly for his mistake before passing the drink to the alpha and his friends. Staring at the back of the modelling school student, he let his head fall, laughing slightly at his pathetic realization.

 

How quickly she moved on from him… With a modelling student who actually had another girlfriend. And to think that he actually still…

 

Not letting his miseries get the best of him, Seungcheol continued reading the orders. He could feel his eyes warmed up as he recalled all the times he encountered similar situations like this the past year but brushed it off thinking he was just being paranoid… he wasn’t. She was sleeping around. Which explained why she refused to see him on weekends her parents weren’t home despite his eager attempts to spend the night together. Now that he thought about it, the time he caught her with that alpha when they broke up was probably not the first time she did that to him…

 

‘Fuck Seungcheol, focus.’ He whispered to himself as he turned away from the customers to prepare their orders. They were busy and short of staff, he need to stop being a pathetic shit and man up. Stop caring about the worthless omega and start making some fucking good coffe-

 

 ‘-cheol? Hey,’ for the umpteenth time today, the freshman found himself being pulled back from his wandering thoughts. Passing the beverages towards the customer and excusing himself, he made his way to his senior who was mending the register. She had an apologetic look on her face. That was when a loud smacking sound of the table sent the whole café silent. ‘I’m sorry, but can you take care of that? I’ll make the drink.’

 

Seungcheol took a peek at the source of the commotion, a man who was soaked got up and following him was his partner, a lady who didn’t seem afraid of him. Cursing his rotten luck, the young alpha sighed and made his way towards the angry couple. This kind of scene, although rare, apparently happened enough times at the café that they wrote about how to handle the situation in the manual book.

 

Remembering not to intensify his own pheromone and to talk calmly without touching the customer if not needed, he got beside the couple. As he expected, the irritated male tried to fight him but as soon as he realized his pushes did not budge the bulky student who still kept his calm, smiling face and threatening to call the authority, both the couple left the café dramatically. Now that everything was settled, he turned around and apologized to the other customers before making his way back behind the counter.

 

‘Thanks Cheol. Just let Dongho clean up the mess.’ Again, he put up his charming smile, pretending to be calm. Truth be told, had it not been because of the job, he could imagine himself punching that damned customer. Out of all the time and place they could fight, they chose to do it here on the day he was especially irritated.

 

Today was not going well.

 

*****

 

Sipping his hot coffee while looking over at the man in front of him, Jeonghan hummed lightly to get his attention. With such big hat covering almost all his face and the mask hiding the lower part, he really couldn’t see how the alpha was doing. All he knew was the man nervous, based on the fidgeting hands which was very unlike him. The guy always exert a confident aura, be it when he is relaxing, working, even during sex. Needless to say, this side of Sehun was very new.

 

‘Hannie,’ he frowned at the nickname. Jeonghan did not like to be called that, preferring his full name as it shows distance. The man knew it, they had been sex friends for almost three years with no private outing whatsoever. The only reason why he even agreed to meet up in the first place was because the model seemed nervous when he called last night, which could only mean one thing – their relationship was somehow exposed. He personally didn’t care about it but he knew it would affect the other greatly. ‘We’ve known each othe-‘

 

‘You bitch!!!’ The sound of a man screaming shocked both males, causing them to turn towards the angry couple who were fighting a few tables away. Catching his breath to calm his violent heartbeat and relaxing his clenched fists, Jeonghan rolled his eyes at the drama and turned back towards his partner whom he realized, had been staring at him for a while. ‘I didn’t catch you…’

 

‘Jeonghan, I-‘

 

‘YAAAH!’ Now the woman was screaming towards the man causing other guests to murmur their complaints to each other. Closing his eyes to relief himself from annoyance, the omega forced a smile as he, again, clenched both his hands in fists. He really hates drama, moreover those occurring in public, obviously with hope to garner other peoples’ attention. Feeling a hand on his left, he opened his eyes to see the alpha, his mask lowered to reveal his handsome face. ‘Relax. The staff’s stopping them.’ The model pointed to his right and Jeonghan traced it towards the couple, now covered by an employee of the café.

 

What in the world... out of all the people in the whole Seoul who could be working in this café right now, it just had to be none other than Seungcheol. If not for his rejection, Jeonghan wouldn’t have been pushed to make the mistake of sleeping with that other annoying alpha who kept pestering him non-stop, thinking they were supposed to have a relationship now that they slept together.

 

Great. Just great.

 

Although, seeing all the other staffs working right now, somehow it did make sense that he was the one to stop the argument. All the other staffs looked small and frail. From what happened at the orientation party, it seems Seungcheol really have a knack of getting in between fights. Maybe he got into them a lot which would explain why his readily interrupt others people’s arguments.

 

But owh… how he would love to see the angry man punch that dimple alpha in the face, just because.

 

‘I’m cool.’ He retorted at his partner, pulling his hand towards himself, still annoyed from the all the ruckus. Jeonghan really wanted to get away from here right now. Hearing the bickering couple refusing to leave was already irritating enough, Seungcheol was now really close to him and he didn’t want to have to acknowledge the guy if he was spotted. Who knows, maybe the alpha would tell his annoying friend he was here and Taeyong would come and make a big deal out of things… he could imagine that happening and he was not going to stick around to find out if it would.

 

The day really couldn’t get any worse than this. And it’s only three in the evening.

 

‘What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.’ He tried to get back on the main subject, wishing Sehun could just muster up the courage and say it to him quickly. He couldn’t think of anything, but there must be something important that the man would risk exposing himself by meeting in broad daylight in a café instead of their normal hotel room. He really doubt it would be good, but there is no harm in hoping right?

 

‘Let’s be mates.’

 

‘Huh?’ Jeonghan turned his face slightly, placing a hand behind his ears. He thought he heard wrong, the people around them were still a bit loud. He thought he heard Sehun asking him to be his omega, which was impossible. They made the arrangements when he decided to keep seeing the man, and a few other alphas to satisfy his urges; not having feelings was on top of the list followed by being strangers outside of sex. Their intimacies were merely physical, and that of ‘friends’ when Jeonghan has his episodes. He could not digest where that possibly came from, if he had not been mistaken about what he heard, that is.

 

‘Mates.’ Sehun maintained, causing the other face to fall.

 

‘Mates?’ Jeonghan repeated, tasting bitterness as the word left his mouth. So, he wasn’t mistaken. Which meant, this was the end for them. He hoped it would not come to this, things were going so well with Sehun he thought they might be able to continue their relationship a few years more.

 

Such a pity.

 

Sehun had been his main sex partner, taking care of his needs whenever the former was available. Now he would have to find someone else to fill in the hole the jerk would leave. Jeonghan dread doing that the most. He hates those egoistic alphas, especially the confident ones thinking they deserve all the omegas in the world just because they naturally able to dominate their counterpart physically and emotionally. It took months, years for him to filter all those fucking alphas to get the few good ones. He thought he really hit a jackpot with Sehun when he knew the man had a career which prevents him from having relationships, but apparently, that didn’t stop him now which made this situation all the more shame. And annoying.

 

‘Great,’ he cynically remarked, letting out a sigh to control himself from getting up and leave. He wanted reason, he wanted something that he could use to fix this. Not many people can handle his breakdowns like the alpha, he didn’t want this to end. ‘Why are you doing this? You can do better. What if people find out?’

 

‘Technically you’re also a celebrity and you’re already an adult so…’

 

‘So?’ Yes, he was finally an adult but what has that got to do with anything? It was not as if people wouldn’t know that their relationship started when he was a minor, he fucking wrote about it in his book that he seek comfort in older alphas. People are not stupid, they can obviously put two and two together. What a fucking idiot. ‘We’re fuck buddies, Sehun. We started fucking a few years ago?’

 

‘Come on, Hannie… Who cares?’ _I fucking care,_ he wanted to retort but held it in. ‘There’s obviously something more. I mean something to you right?’

 

‘Fuck buddies.’ He emphasized, now really wanting to end the conversation. ‘Nothing more. Seriously Sehun? What did you think I was gonna say? We have fun together, that’s about it.’

 

‘You think I was playing? Why do you think I see you so much? I don’t want you fucking other alphas-‘

 

‘I think we’re done.’ Jeonghan interrupted the man to announce his leave. It was obvious this was beyond repair. What was with the confession? All these years with Sehun, he never thought the man was as disgusting as the others. He was such a good liar Jeonghan fell for his trap. ‘I fucking trusted you.’

 

‘Yah, stop.’ The alpha grabbed Jeonghan’s left hand, an action to which the latter reacted by twisting it and pulling his hand towards himself. He need to let the man know he was really pissed so he would consider stopping all this nonsense. Sehun is smart, he would catch on.

 

‘Yoon Jeonghan stop!’ Jeonghan shuddered as his whole body stopped from the growl. He couldn’t believe it, the fucking guy dared to order him, in fucking public, mentioning his full name. This was going too far! How dare he? Who- Why? He knew how this would affect Jeonghan, how-

 

He wouldn’t tolerate this anymore. They are fucking over. He can ruin the man’s career. ‘You’re gonna regret that.’ He hissed, staring deadly into his eyes. He could see Sehun staring back, determined to make him stay and listen. The jerk probably thought his reasoning would be good enough of an excuse to do this to him. Fucking alpha.

 

‘Sit the hell down. I’m not done talking.’ Again, that authoritative growl. If he were to report this to the police, the man would be prosecuted. He had the whole café as witnesses. Sehun’s going to hell. ‘Your answer’s no. And do that one more time-‘

 

 

‘Or what? Jeonghan? You can’t live without me! Why can’t you-‘ Jeonghan frowned at the distressed male. What in the world was wrong with him??

 

‘Customer, we need you to calm down-‘ the familiar voice he thought he hated came right on time, breaking his attention from the crazed alpha.

 

This was his cue to leave.

 

*****

 

For the second time today, Seungcheol turned to apologize to all their customers. Never in his life, would he thought he would have to do this kind of things, twice, in the span of less than an hour. The last alpha almost hit him, if not for his senior’s intervention. Despite her small structure, having two staffs threatening him to take legal action was good enough scare to chase him out of the café, to everyone’s delight.

 

But, the thing that shocked him the most about the whole thing was, Yoon Jeonghan.

 

It was as if the universe was playing a trick on him. Just this morning he heard about the omega being an abuse victim, and now he saw it happening right in front of him.  Though he doubt the man would still be with his abuser after all this time, he read somewhere that people tend to get back into the bad cycle. If his friend knew the man he had been chasing still has an abusive lover, it would shatter his romantic heart in to million pieces.

 

‘Thanks Cheol.’ Seungcheol brushed it off with a smile. He had to do it, nobody else could. ‘Today’s not a good day for business right?’ he tried to lighten the mood. Two continuous incidents turned the whole café solemn, the customers no longer feeling joy. No doubt some of them already twitted what happen so they can be sure there would be a change in customer visits in the next few days.

 

Seeing his guilt-ridden senior still not comfortable letting him work without her constantly stealing glances, he continued, ‘It’s fine. I’ve dealt with this kind of things a few times while helping out in my cousin’s bar.’ She now completely turned towards him, curious. ‘At the west district.’ He added to which she mouthed a big ‘O’. What happened today was nothing compared to the crazy drunkards he had to deal with there. Now he knew why people don’t mess with those from the west district.

 

‘Cheol, just go back.’ He was about to ask why since he still have about an hour left in his shift before, ‘It’s fine. It’ll be uncomfortable for the customer too if you’re still working after all that.’ She paused, analyzing his reaction before continuing, ‘Don’t worry, we won’t deduct your pay.’

 

‘That’s not-‘ Finally looking around the whole premise, he realized what his senior said was fact. A few of the guest kept looking at him, some even pointing subtly while talking to their companies. He didn’t know if those were words of praise or criticism. One thing was clear though, his presence cause discomfort in a few.

 

Weighing his limited options, he decided to accept the offer; a decision he quickly regretted when he was yet again, reminded of Woo Ri’s betrayal.

 

*****

 

Jeonghan finally got out of the stationary shop where he was hiding from Sehun and headed towards the bus stop, stopping at the small park along the way to collect his thought. His body was desperately trying to shake in fear but he wouldn’t allow that to happen. Despite being an omega, he refused to submit to an alpha.

 

He would never.

 

Never again.

 

…But it was hard. He thought he had it under control, he thought he got rid of those damned instinct but apparently not. For the first time in four years, he found his body and mind complying to the demands of an alpha once again, despite his own consciousness screaming for him to go against it.

 

For the first time in years, he felt violated once again. He felt weak and helpless, in front of all those people who did no shit to help him. Not that he expected them too, people only stick their noses into something that benefits them anyways. He lost faith in them a long time ago.

 

It was just, no matter how many alphas tried to manipulate him into giving in these past few years, he always found himself able to resist it. He should have been able to do the same back at the cafe, but he couldn’t. And that, shocked him enough he couldn’t even try to find a way to escape and just sat there, like an idiot. Like the stupid Jeonghan who would still go inside the hotel rooms despite knowing what was waiting on the other side of the door. A worthless, pathetic omega.

 

Kicking the sand a few times, hitting the frame of the swing set, Jeonghan finally realized what went wrong with him.

 

Trust. He fucking trusted the damned alpha and became his fucking puppet just like that. After all this time, his trainings amounted to nothing. Fucking alphas!! He fucking hate them! Why the hell did he have to depend on them to take care of him? Why was he born an omega???!

 

‘Hey, are you okay?’ Jeonghan flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Staring coldly to the stranger, he quickly recognize the man. Choi fucking Seungcheol. Another damned alpha who kept getting into his business. What? He thought he could play the good guy? No way.

 

‘Why do you care?’ He scowled, exerting dominance. Breathing heavily from his agitated condition, realizing he was on the verge of having another episode, he contemplated whether he should go back to his room and take his medicine. Walking away seemed like the best choice right now, and that was what he did before deciding to taunt the man one last time, to get him off his sight for good. ‘What the hell was that? You think I can’t handle that? Cus I’m an omega?’

 

‘He was getting rough and-‘

 

‘Stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. I can handle my own shit.’ He hissed, satisfied with the frown and frustration now evident on the alpha’s face. Good. ‘I don’t owe you alphas anything-‘

 

‘You think I give a crap what happens to you? It’s not my fucking problem if you keep seeing people like him but keep your bed problems outside my café.’ Seungcheol’s sudden outburst shocked the omega who now found himself frozen in place, his throat dry. Staring at the alpha, who, surprisingly caught himself in shock as well from the white face, Jeonghan forced himself to smile.

 

Yes, a smile always work in these situation. Scared omegas do not smile, so that was exactly what he was going to do. Smile widely and let the cursed alpha know he was not submitting. And he was not threatened. ‘People like him? Bed problems?’ He questioned, noting the unreasonable expression Seungcheol wore, ‘Just cus you read about me doesn’t mean you know everything about me. Bastard.’

 

He did it, he fucking won. Just look at that fucking face. Like a deer caught in a headlight, the alpha froze.

 

He still got it.

 

Pushing the man as he made his way towards the bus stop, Jeonghan grabbed his constantly vibrating phone and switched it off. He should change his number tomorrow, the pathetic alphas were getting annoying anyways. Maybe he should switch club as well and find some new partners. His heat was coming in a few weeks anyways, he needed to find a good one soon.

 

Maybe he should go there more frequently.

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan T_T He’s messed up right? He’s not sleeping around because he likes it guys, he has PTSD and that’s how he deals with his trauma. He’s still young and trying to figure out how to get his life together. Give him some time :(
> 
> And, Coups… he’s such a fool right? He didn’t even search for Hannie and assumed the abuse Taeyong talked about was ‘lover’s abuse’ *palms face* Then again, he still has no interest in our angel because of his ex-lover so I guess it’s forgivable XD
> 
>  
> 
> Also, it might be confusing but the modeling student Woo Ri slept with is not Sehun. As much as I’m a sadist, I won’t allow Jeonghan and Woo Ri sharing alphas!
> 
> Speaking of, Sehun ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I’m sorry, their interaction during ISAAC was so epic I just had to sneak him in here somewhere xD
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, I’m sorry this took a while since I’ve been busy last week but the chapter’s long so… forgive me? *blinking violently in an attempt to look cute*
> 
> Thanks for reading and leaving me your thoughts guys!! I love you so much! I reply to comments so please share you love with me!!! <3<3


	7. Chapter 7

Feeling his face cold from disgust mixed with shock, Seungcheol closed the book and dropped it on the floor, intending to hide it from sight. Now facing the ceiling, the young man let out a long sigh. He could imagine the things that he read and that was enough mess with his thoughts. How he wished he didn’t read Jeonghan’s book in the first place…

 

He didn’t want to at first, but what Jeonghan said that day at the park kept on replaying in his mind. The man said something about not knowing the real him despite reading his book leading Seungcheol to become really curious as to what was written. His guilt for screaming at the omega due to his own personal stress might push him a bit, but mostly it was how their meeting ended. Jeonghan seemed really hurt from what he said. He felt like he owed the man an apology, and he couldn’t do that without knowing what the other was talking about.

 

But god, he didn’t expect this at all. He thought it was about domestic violence or something - that was already bad enough in his mind. He’d never thought the omega was-

 

‘Shit.’ Seungcheol closed his eyes and rubbed them, hoping to erase the image from his mind. It was too explicit, too dark, he couldn’t read past the second chapter where Jeonghan recalled what was done to him back then, by his own guardians. It was too much he skipped to the next chapter, hoping that things would be better after his rescue. It was, but then came the mental issue and Seungcheol was done for. That was how much he could take. He couldn’t go on anymore.

 

Despite him not being able to read it though, Seungcheol had got to admit, Jeonghan could really write. He didn’t know whether it was the choice of words, or the fact that he wrote it in first person, everything felt real. It was as if he was trapped in the little omega’s body, his mind knowing things were wrong, screaming for him to stop falling deeper into the abyss and yet, the physical refuse to cooperate.

 

It scared him. It felt so real it scared him so much he had to stop.

 

He wondered which part of the book would make him crazy about Jeonghan because right now, he couldn’t feel anything but sympathy and guilt. Sympathy because of what the man had gone through, and guilt because, well, he was an alpha who told the man who was hurt by another alpha to basically hide his problems and deal with it in private.

 

He was so, _so_ stupid.

 

*****

 

Jeonghan stopped his track as his eyes caught on a familiar-looking face whom he hadn’t meet since orientation, which was almost a month ago. As he expected, the man’s stature was as elegant and soft as his face, something he found captivating.

 

Now that he thought about it, they hadn’t met before because they both belonged to different departments. And, for some reason, they never meet each other at the dormitory as well. That being said, it was kind of weird seeing Joshua here right now, casually walking into the convenient store. Did he have some errands here? This surely piqued his curiousity, despite it not being a huge mystery. Maybe he was just feeling bored out of his wits right now to care for something insignificant like this.

 

Should he ask? No he shouldn’t because then, they need to talk and talking to people tend to make him hate them. Aside from the few classmates he could tolerate, he still haven’t found someone he clicked with, and that would prove to be a problem. He would hate to dislike Joshua since the man really seem like he would make a good friend. He didn’t want to destroy that perfect image of him. It is not every day that people leave good impression to him, and Jeonghan would really love for those who did, to remain that way in his mind.

 

‘Shit,’ Jeonghan turned around as he realized he had just unconsciously followed the foreigner up to the store. He could swear Joshua just saw him from inside, and based on his wide smile, was excited to see him.

 

What should he do?

 

He really do not know how to talk to normal people. His relationship with people mostly involve physical interaction instead of normal conversation, and in some occasion, him talking about his issues to others be it to help them or to get help himself. With his lack of social skills, he was confident Joshua would see right through him and figure out how weird and messed up he actually is. He couldn’t have that. It would affect him greatly. He didn’t want to add social anxiety into his list of complications. The list is already pages long.

 

‘Jeonghan! Hey! Long time no see!’ the said omega flinched as he heard his name being called. Flashing his fake smile which he had accustomed himself with, Jeonghan waved slightly as acknowledgement. While thinking of an excuse to leave, he was also finding something else to talk about to make it seem as if he was as excited with the meeting. ‘You’re not buying anything?’

 

‘Huh? Yeah, of course.’ He was already here, he should pretend he had something to buy and bid his goodbye. Nodding his head while flashing a smile, Jeonghan proceeded to act like he was about to enter the convenient store.

_‘Try making friends. You need them.’_

 

Jeonghan closed his eyes as he recalled what his therapist told him before he left the shelter. He was so used to being alone, only caring about himself. He knew that had to stop. No matter how much he hates most people, he needed to have at least one person who would help him in case something happens now that he was living alone outside the security of the shelter.

 

Maybe, just maybe, Joshua would want to be that person. He seemed like a selfless, helpful guy after all. Maybe he would be able to tolerate all the monster inside of him. And maybe, Jeonghan could tolerate being around him as well, despite how polar opposite they were.

 

Sighing from his own thought, Jeonghan turned around and walked behind the other omega, calling out to him. Only when the man faced him did he notice the plastic on his right hand, filled with the same beverage – banana milks. Lots and lots of banana, milks. Looking at the owner, Jeonghan almost laughed seeing Joshua sucked the last drop of the drink, desperately trying to take in everything. ‘Wait, you want one? I’m sorry, I bought everything…’

 

‘You what?’ Jeonghan asked, a bit too loud causing the other to scratch the back of his neck in guilt. ‘Wait, are you only here to buy that?’

 

‘They don’t sell these at my department.’ Joshua replied honestly, looking at his partner who was now laughing, confused at the situation. ‘I can’t work without banana milk.’

 

Okay, this guy is innocently funny, he didn’t know whether that was a calculated act, or he was just naturally awkward but Jeonghan thought he might actually be able to give this a chance. Since the guy is weird, there was a high chance he would not be like other people. Heck, Joshua reads white paper for god’s sake. He might not even know about all the gossips to even start to care.

 

…So, what should he do next to continue this conversation? Comment on the taste? Ask for one? Complain- no, definitely not complain.

 

‘You…’ Jeonghan looked up as the other omega started to talk. He was dragging his word, as if he was trying to say something important and the former just couldn’t help but gulp in anticipation. The long milliseconds started to mess with his mind as he suddenly remembered a lot of things, bad things that Joshua could hear about him this past month.

 

Owh god, he knew this was a bad idea. He should have just stick to being alo-

 

‘…do remember my name right?’

 

‘Huh?’ What? Why? WHY??

 

Looking at the befuddled expression the other wore, Joshua laughed aloud, shocking the junior ‘You look like you forgot. You’ve been avoiding to call my name.’

 

Jeonghan stared at him, speechless at the sudden playfulness. He wasn’t prepared for such prank. Who even play like this with someone they only met twice?? Well, on the other hand, it would on a second meeting but… just why?? Was this normal? Do normal people interact like this?? ‘Don’t worry. Happens all the time. I’m kinda invisible.’ Joshua, again look at his partner. Closing their distance, he put a hand on Jeonghan’s shoulder ‘I’m kidding! Or am I?’

 

Ok. Joshua is weird. Should he just leave? He was starting to feel a bit scared. Peeking at the man’s other hand, he saw Joshua pulling another bottle of his banana milk and offered it to Jeonghan. He reluctantly accept, fully regretting his decision to try and make friends. This was not going as he expected. Drinking the beverage whilst sitting down on the nearest bench, he finally faced the foreigner, ‘Joshua, I think you’re weird.’

 

There. He said it. Their relationship, or potential relationship ends here.

 

‘I disagree.’ Joshua smiled at him, no sign of annoyance visible on his face, ‘I’m unique.’

 

Somehow that answer made Jeonghan smile. Unique, he liked that word. ‘People say my personality don’t fit my appearance. I say, who decides it didn’t fit?’ Joshua continued his rambling, not really into the conversation rather than just filling the silence. However, what he just said hit something inside of Jeonghan. He didn’t know what, but he felt something as the words were spoken, as if it resonate with him.

 

‘You speak good words.’ Jeonghan finally commented. He didn’t know whether those were something the other male read somewhere or that were spoken to by someone, but it made him comfortable being here. He no longer feel scared of hanging out with this weird person. ‘My research theme is omegas breaking the stereotype. Those kinds of thoughts comes naturally.’

 

‘Sounds like good theme.’ Jeonghan leaned against the backrest, finally relaxed. It felt like forever since he feel comfortable talking to other people without wanting to get away or getting his tension up. He didn’t know how this unique omega did it, but he felt like a sedative, figuratively speaking. Like his anti-anxiety pills.

 

He should be around this guy more often. Maybe then, he would not need his pills as much.

 

*****

 

Seungcheol grabbed the beer glasses on the table, wiping of a few stains before heading to the back and piling everything near the sink. Working at the café made him itch to just wash all the glasses but his cousin owned a lot of those, and Siwon insisted on doing the dishes after hours because he didn’t want to have to wipe them in between tending the bar. Shaking his head at the mess, he returned behind the counter. If the owner wants the kitchen filled with dirty glasses, he gets dirty glasses.

 

‘Hey, you got morning class tomorrow, right?’ Siwon asked, as he pour beer into a few glasses. Seungcheol waited for the drinks to be passed to the customer before answering, ‘Second period.’

 

‘Go back first. We’ll handle the rest.’ The older, muscular alpha ordered as he wiped his workstation. With the request of checking the toilet for anything that needed to be cleaned, and ensuring the VIP rooms were kept locked, Seungcheol turned back to report his findings before excusing himself. Everyone was behaving today but it was only past midnight. Things usually go crazy around two in the morning. He helped the bar on those days a few times before, things were chaotic to say the least. You never know how the west district might act crazy.

 

‘Here, take the car. Put my stuff inside the house first will ya? You can spend the night if you want. Or drive back to campus.’

 

‘I can walk.’ He declined the offer. His cousin drives a blue Lexus which was unbefitting to be driven by a mere student as him. He could imagine how everyone would react if they saw the car parked at the dormitory parking space. They would tell everyone. It would be exhausting to have to explain. ‘It’s only a few kilometres.’

 

‘There’s no bus left, and this is not a safe neighbourhood. I don’t wanna answer to your mom if anything happens.’ Siwon handed him the keys anyway, and again, before he could decline, another customer placed their orders. Smiling at the gesture, Seungcheol placed them in his pocket and waited for his older relative to be free to listen. ‘I’ll come by first thing in the morning. Don’t want the other to think I’m rich,’ he commented, earning a laugh from the older.

 

‘Leave it at the house then. We’re going back together.’ The man commented as he pointed towards his lover who was talking with one of the customer. Liu Wen, a female beta, is not able to bear alpha children but that didn’t matter to both of them, and that, was very admirable to the young alpha’s eyes. He looked up to the experienced couple. They had been through a lot together.

 

Having his cousin around helped his first heartbreak a lot, he listened to his frustration with understanding, knowing fully well how it hurts, and Seungcheol really appreciated that. And the beta lady? She just went straight to Woo Ri’s head, which was offensive at first since Seungcheol still loved her, but he got used to it. There was truth in what she said and hearing it coming from someone like Liu Wen, he was starting to accept it. Bit by bit.

 

Bidding his goodbye, Seungcheol started the engine, gasping in excitement as the lights switched on. He felt like a million dollar! Looking around to note where everything was, he turned on the radio and reversed back towards the main road. From inside the car, everything looked fine, but really, the roads here are very dark. Even scary. There were not that many people passing through and the streetlights were dim, even if there was no one else there, he would feel like someone would jump him anytime. Truth be told, he was really thankful he got the car today because, he hated walking through the street at night.

 

‘Fuc-!’ Seungcheol almost cursed when he saw someone appeared from in between the junction. The figure had a long, black hair and one look would suggest it was a ghost. Thankfully it was wearing a black leather jacket so he could gather his cool immediately because, Korean ghosts would never wear black leather jacket. Duh.

 

Tapping his fingers while waiting for the light to turn green, he drove past the cursed person, curious as to what they look like. He did felt a bit stupid because if he were to discover the person to be faceless which meant he would encounter a modern ghost, he would cause his own death by heart attack. But Seungcheol just couldn’t help himself. He felt safe in a car.

 

Wait. That person looked familiar. Jeonghan?

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a while guys!!! Hi!!
> 
> Sorry for the long wait… but this is a double update so on to the next! Go go!!


	8. Chapter 8

Jeonghan?

 

Nope. Shouldn’t be. Why would the omega be here in the middle of the night?

 

...nightlife. Of course. He stopped reading the man’s book but he did search for his name once. It seemed Jeonghan chose to cope with whatever was happening by going to places like this. Honestly, he would avoid those kind of person but something made him care about this guy. He felt like he owed the man for his outburst a few days earlier. And guilt is one of his biggest weakness. Once he felt bad for doing something, it would haunt him for a long time until he fix it. Apparently, as the people around him pointed out, that was how Woo Ri usually manipulates him. He doubt that was true but he had to admit, sometimes it felt like she was.

 

‘Tsk.’ Seungcheol clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was reminded of his ex-lover again. He needed a distraction. Looking through the back mirror and seeing the omega still walking, the alpha thought of an idea.

 

Ensuring there were no cars behind him, Seungcheol decided to reverse his car and fetch the man. Jeonghan was obviously heading back to the campus and he was on the way back as well. He should at least do this much. Say his apology and get the man out of his mind for good. And, at the same time, get the man to keep him company until they reach the campus so he wouldn’t think about Woo Ri. ‘Jeonghan?’

 

The omega flinched at the sudden call but relaxed soon after, rolling his eyes as soon as he saw Seungcheol, ‘Owh it’s you.’

 

‘What you doing here?’ He tried asking although he had a pretty good idea why. Obviously Jeonghan was not having any of it as he pointed out to his outfit, ‘Finding a good bed partner.’

 

It was apparent that the other male was provoking him, choosing to use the word ‘bed partner’ to refer to what he yelled at him the other day. Nodding along, trying to ignore the irritated aura the other was trying to emit, Seungcheol continued, ‘Guess everyone suck today?’

 

That response, maybe caught the omega off-guard as he frowned to look at him, probably curious to his change of personality. Seungcheol knew the man was waiting for a negative reply but really, he didn’t care at all. They have no relationship with each other, why should he hate what the other was doing? ‘I mean, you’re going back alone right now so, there’s no good alphas right?’

 

‘Yeah, you can say that.’ Jeonghan seemed to lower his defense a little, finally replying to his question. He was still annoyed, Seungcheol wouldn’t blame him for that considering he didn’t leave such a good impression their last two meetings. There was a long silence where the omega just stood there, him just looking around the car not wanting to move as well, both of them not planning to make the first move to leave. Figuring it was the best for him to just let the man know of his intention, the alpha was about to speak before Jeonghan cut him, ‘You?’ to which he replied with a confused ‘huh?’

 

‘What are you doing here?’ He repeated his question. Seungcheol gave it a brief thought, opting to joke around to ease the apparent tension. Patting the car a few time as a reply to Jeonghan’s pointing of his outfit, he continued ‘Cruising for lonely omegas to give ride to.’

 

‘Owh?’ he didn’t know whether Jeonghan caught his playfulness, half regretting the image he just created if the man didn’t. But seeing the other’s slight soften of the face, he knew it was good for him to continue his unconvincing act. ‘To where?’

 

‘I dunno. Where are you going?’ He gave the omega a big smile. ‘What? You think I’m riding with you cus of this fancy car?’

 

‘No,’ Shit, that didn’t go as planned. He was hoping for a light laugh so he could go on and send the man back home. He didn’t mean to suggest what the man thought he was, ‘I mean, if you’re going this way, I’ll be glad to drive you.’

 

‘I don’t know where you were going but I’m, going that way.’ Jeonghan pointed to the right at the junction, making sure his words were clear. ‘Back to campus.’

 

‘Do you know we can get back to campus this way too?’ He lifted his hand to point straight ahead, where he was heading before reversing the car to where they were. He knew Jeonghan noticed his route hence the slight warning. ‘Through the north gate. Also, I need to stop by somewhere first. So?’ He waited nervously for an answer, ‘I mean, it’s better than walking another half an hour in the dark right?’

 

 

‘You smell like booze.’ Seungcheol commented in hope to lighten the mood. He had been driving with the omega for a while towards his cousin’s house and yet no one had made a sound. He figured pointing out the obvious would be funny but he wouldn’t know whether it would actually be offensive to the other now that he gave it a few more thoughts. ‘Says you.’ Jeonghan retorted without looking, something that he imagined would happen.

 

‘I was helping my cousin at the bar today.’

 

‘You work a lot.’ Jeonghan remarked, looking at him, ‘For someone who drive a Lexus.’

 

Seungcheol smirked, finally realizing the situation they were in. He forgot the fact that he was driving an expensive car, and the fact that he was just a student. Everyone would have had the same thought as the omega – that he was a spoiled son of a rich family who, based on their location right now, love to play around. Exactly the opposite of the real him. Well, not that his family was poor, but they were not millionaires either. ‘This is my cousin’s. He’s the owner of Kingsmen, the bar I worked in. And, yeah. I have a few jobs for reasons.’

 

‘Reasons.’ Jeonghan repeated, not really interested in asking because there were only a few reasons why anyone would do that and he knew all of them. It was not as if he was eager to find out about the alpha either. There were no reason why he would ask for an explanation. Scanning the interior of the car, Jeonghan decided to play with the audio player. Seungcheol had a light R&B song playing, something he was not familiar with but didn’t hate. It was a nice change from the thumping he heard a while ago.

 

*****

 

Arriving at a well-secured neighbourhood, Jeonghan eyed every houses there were, admiring the view. He remembered his old house being as beautiful as the least pretty one here, finding himself no longer able to recall where they were staying when his family was complete. Stopping at a slightly small, yet classy house, Jeonghan turned to look at the alpha who was turning off the engine. Seungcheol left the music on but made sure he had the keys with him as he made his way out. Noticing the stare from the omega, he smiled awkwardly. ‘My cousin’s. Don’t wanna lose it.’ He tried to defend himself, thinking the other was accusing him of not trusting him. Jeonghan observed the other opening the boot of the car from the rear-view mirror, keeping his sight locked on the alpha as the man walked towards the house.

 

He was curious of the interior, having never been to someone’s house in a very long time. Hotels are something else, houses should look more welcoming. Getting out of the car, Jeonghan invited himself in, admiring the slightly messy interior yet charming in its own way. A very warm, and welcoming view indeed.

 

‘Your house?’ He asked as he saw the alpha returned towards the living room from somewhere he figured was the kitchen. Seungcheol was obviously surprised by his presence but did not care enough to ask him to leave. Helping himself on the soft-looking sofa, Jeonghan leaned against it, sighing his relief. ‘My cousin’s. The owner of the car.’

 

He nodded at the answer, already cozy on the couch. This feeling too, was nostalgic. Sure the therapist office had sofas but not this comfortable enough as they would not want their patients to fall asleep. The ones at the shelter were the same, soft enough that people wouldn’t feel pain but not as soft. The hotels? Same concept. It had been a while since he feel like he would want to fall asleep on a couch like this. ‘I don’t mind sleeping here.’

 

‘Err…’ Jeonghan finally opened his eyes to look at the alpha. Seungcheol was trying to avoid his gaze, his face almost blushing. Obviously, the other had been staring at him for a while, and he could guess what the man was thinking. Jeonghan was, dressed to impress tonight. Catching the eyes of alphas was the exact intention of his not-so-comfortable outfit in the first place.

 

Smirking at the thought, he decided to give it a try. He didn’t get an alpha tonight, and he was in the mood now that one really good-looking man was standing in front of him, in a really pretty house, on a really comfortable couch. It was just the two of them in the whole house as well. He would do it on the couch, or they can go and try the bedroom, he bet that would be as amazing. Heck, they can even do it on the kitchen counter or even the car. Jeonghan would never do that with other alphas but he might do it with Seungcheol. He didn’t know whether the alpha planned this but if he did, he played his cards right. Jeonghan was turned on.

 

‘Don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s not my house…’ Jeonghan rolled his eyes as his effort again, seemed to be ignored. Seungcheol was not even facing him to notice his posture nor was he responding to his inviting pheromones. Maybe his tactics were too advanced for this simple-minded being. Maybe he need to step it down a notch and make it a bit obvious. ‘It’s just the couch…’ He patted on his side to ask the alpha to sit beside him. ‘We’ll be gone in a few hours.’

 

‘Nope. Sorry.’ The omega found himself grunting in frustration, ready to fight for his right of sleeping before Seungcheol came towards him and pulled his hands so he would stand up. Letting himself comply with it, Jeonghan hunched his back as a protest, ‘Come on, let’s go back,’

 

‘You’re no fun.’

 

‘Don’t you have morning class tomorrow?’ Seungcheol played the student card, to which the omega rolled his eyes to, not wanting to answer. He might be in the mood for sex a few minutes ago but this guy really knew how to turn him off. ‘Tsk. What a nerd.’

 

*****

 

Jeonghan thanked the alpha before making his way out of the car, eager to jump on his bed and sleep. Turning around to face the driver, Seungcheol asked, ‘You sure you don’t wanna go eat?’

 

He shook his head as an answer, he didn’t want to get fat eating fast food before sleeping. Just as he was about to open his mouth again, ‘I know. You don’t owe me. I’m the one who offered the ride.’

 

That caught him off-guard. That was exactly what he was about to say to the alpha. It took Jeonghan a few seconds of just staring at the young male before recalling their last few meetings. He said that to Seungcheol a few times, but it was actually surprising that the man heard him. Letting himself smile from unexpected relief, he stated, ‘Glad you understood my words.’

 

‘Clearly. Kinda hard to forget it when you keep hissing it at me.’ Jeonghan laughed at that statement. He never hiss. He wondered what kind of image the man had of him to even say that in the first place. ‘Good night Yoon Jeonghan.’

 

 

 

Jeonghan locked the doors and quickly get out of his clothes, throwing it in his laundry box to ensure the smell do not leak out to fill his room. He never liked the smell of clubs. The smell of sweats, mixed with alcohols and cigarette smoke is never appealing to him despite him frequenting the place. Just because he drinks and hang out with people who smoke doesn’t mean he had to love the smell sticking on his clothes and body. It might seem weird but that is just the way it is.

 

Washing his hair with his favourite citrus shampoo, he almost threw up recalling how one of the alphas smelled his hair like a madman while trying to court him today. It was so appalling he just had to leave without getting what he went there for.

 

Today was his first time going to the club in the west district, having to change it to avoid being in the same circle as Sehun but despite knowing the reputation of the area, he found it hard to accept the way a few of them acted around him. They probably never have someone famous there hence the attention he had been getting despite only being a minor author instead of a major celebrity. It was kind of annoying but he might be able to pull it off, he just had to get used to it and start planning his strategy.

 

Flopping on the bed, ready to sleep, Jeongan stared at the clock. It was already two in the morning. It was fine though, his first lecture starts after lunch which was why he decided to go out tonight - to spend the night outside in some cheap hotel.

_‘Don’t you have morning class tomorrow?’_

 

Jeonghan smiled at the thought. He wondered if Seungcheol do since he was eager to get back tonight. Would he even get to wake up on time if he were to sleep now? He would already be in his room right now. Was he already sleeping or was he trying to stay awake so he wouldn’t be oversleeping? It would be so funny to imagine him fighting sleep during a lecture, his full lips pouting and his thick brows furrowing. Like a big baby.

 

Laughing through his nose from the image, Jeonghan shook his head at his weird thoughts, wondering why he had such an innocent image of the alpha. Seungcheol’s physical and looks were far from innocent, in fact he is very manly so why couldn’t Jeonghan imagine him being as wild and disgusting like others? Was it because of his innocent reaction towards his advance that orientation night? But he was really getting into it before his rejection. The alpha knew what he was doing so obviously, he had experience.

 

Then why? Why was the man acting very not alpha-like?

 

Seriously, not falling for his sexual attacks? Obviously Jeonghan hadn’t lost his magic or the other alphas wouldn’t act so desperate for him a few hours back.

 

Is Seungcheol a broken alpha or did Jeonghan found a rare gem? Is the alpha an extinct species known as the demisexual alpha? As in, a decent alpha?

 

Jeonghan found himself grinning at the very unlikely thought. Decent alpha do not exist. And he was going to prove it.

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Hoho!!
> 
> Jeongcheol’s finally not at each other’s throat!!! Yay!! But Jeonghan failed at his attempt to sleep with Coups again!! Poor boy xD
> 
> FYI, I was looking for some lady to pair Si Won with (cus not everyone in my au is gay, haha!) and Liu Wen came out as the most popular partner hence her name! So, blame the internet if you don’t like the pair :3
> 
>  
> 
> AND OMG GUYS!! HIT??? HAVE YOU WATCHED HIT??? LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I never hyperventilate while watching an MV before and everytime I watch HIT, I do it so hard I thought I stopped breathing!
> 
> Joshua’s so pretty and Hoshi’s so freaking hot! Mingyu back in his blue hair urgh!! And Coups in black hair?? Did you guys watch Knowing Bros?? Do you realize how cute that boy is????
> 
> I need to calm down. Phew!! Hahaaa!!! Enough of my fangirling!
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, I just want to welcome the new readers to the fic! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I love writing it! Please do show your support by voting or sharing your thoughts through the comments ;D
> 
> Love you readers so much!!! <3<3


	9. Chapter 9

The clock showed a quarter past eleven, reminding Jeonghan on how long he had been sitting at the bar drinking his boredom away. Friday nights were supposed to be lively, he was hoping for that but it seemed, in this part of the city, every day is Friday. Sure, it was fun at first, but he got used to the atmosphere. Nothing excites him about this place anymore. Back at the old club he used to frequent, they hold themed events once in a while. Here, people just dance. The DJ changes every day but the sounds are the same. The people coming here? Below average which made his alpha hunting harder than he thought. So hard that he had to go through his last heat alone. For the first time in years, he had to endure the humiliating and traumatizing experience alone.

 

‘Still no one?’ the bartender with whom he had made acquaintance with asked, knowing fully well his intention and interest. Jeonghan always made sure he knew the staffs of the place he would frequent so they can be his alibi if anything were to happen. Over the years, he learned that these people matter the most especially if he were to be accused of anything, which he was, one too many times by the alphas he rejected.

 

Shaking his head as an answer, Jeonghan smirked in acknowledgement as his friend gave him the ‘signal’. An alpha was walking towards them, and based on her expression, a good-looking alpha. Winking at the staff, the young omega turned towards the newcomer, giving him a disinterested look but inwardly assessing him.

 

Above-average at best, but with a hot body. Confident, that was for sure which made him appear to be even more attractive than he actually was. But obviously, Jeonghan could always see pass through it. ‘Been watching you. Jeonghan right?’

 

‘Yeap. And that was not creepy at all.’ He started his act, making the man work for him. The man chuckled at his reply, it was a cute one, but a calculated gesture. Not that he cared, there was no way he would find a genuine person here anyway. ‘Well, I heard about you and uh, your adventures.’

 

Jeonghan clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was no secret he despise pretenses but a little teasing never offended him. Being honest about wanting to fuck him was, and bringing up his past to back it up, even more. As if he was nothing but a sex object they can do whatever they want to whenever they want. This guy, just ticked all the boxes. ‘Too bad. Not feeling adventurous tonight.’ Jeonghan got his point across and turned back towards the bar, not wanting to waste his time on the alpha before his hand was pulled lightly, but firmly back.

 

‘I can show you a good time.’ He persisted, to which the omega again, rejected. ‘Maybe I have something that might change your mind.’ The man pulled out something from his pocket to show the latter, his eyes lurking around, aware of the surrounding before stopping a few seconds to a corner of the second deck. Tracing his view, Jeonghan noticed a group of men on the upper deck, observing them both. It was so unnerving he had to quickly shifted his gaze to avoid getting caught staring. His eyes landed on the small tube on the alpha’s hand.

 

Drugs. Of course. There was no way he was getting into this mess. ‘No thanks.’

 

‘I’ll let you have a taste…’ The man tried to trace his face gently, licking his lips before Jeonghan pushed it away, glaring at him. ‘…for free. Then we can-‘

 

‘Piss off.’ Another push, countered by a forceful pull and the younger male had enough. The alpha was practically begging him to take the drug and sleep with him, it seemed he wouldn’t stop no matter what Jeonghan did. He needed to get his point through clearly – with a slap.

 

‘I said no.’

_Fuck_. The man was really pissed right now, his nostrils doubled in size as he smirked to maintain his calm. That was not what scared Jeonghan, he was used to these situation but most alphas would not go as far as using their pheromones on him over a mere rejection. This man was practically threatening him, the air around him started to feel heavy.

 

‘Take the fucking thing.’ Jeonghan leaned against the table, trying to fight the urge to surrender. His eyes caught a glimpse of the group of men on the second floor, they seemed to be interested in their current situation. He didn’t know what to make of it, but he didn’t want to wait and find out. Whether the men were friends, or foe, Jeonghan needed to first make sure the alpha in front of him leave. ‘You’re gonna ruin everything.’ The man hissed.

 

Taking his phone out despite the warning from the other, Jeonghan took the man’s picture before it was slapped away from his hand. And in just a millisecond, a palm landed on his cheek. Although a bit shaken and hurt, Jeonghan quickly grabbed a bottle from the counter and without thinking, smashed it on his attacker’s head, sending him screaming on the ground. Honestly, he was numb of his senses right now. The only thing he could hear was the ringing in his ears and inaudible voices as if he was under water. Everything was blurry, lights like one of those bokeh photos.

 

Feeling a slight pat on his shoulder, Jeonghan gasped as he returned to reality. ‘Jeonghan, go. Hun’ll take care of him.’

 

Nodding his head one too many times, he decided to comply. Taking his phone from the ground, Jeonghan opened the photo and shoved in to the alpha’s face. ‘If I see you again, know that this is gonna go to the police.’ Turning it back towards himself so he could open another application, he then showed the other his address book and scrolled them. ‘I know every fucking policemen here, fucker.’

 

*****

 

‘Urnhh!’ His mouth hurt so bad right now. It was throbbing and he swore he felt heat emitted from it. Groggily dragging his feet to the bathroom, Jeonghan stared at his reflection. He looked like a nightmare. His left cheek was red, his lower lip was cut from him accidentally biting it during the impact. This wasn’t the worst he ever gotten so, at least there was that.

 

Looking left and right for something he could use to cover it up, Jeonghan realized he had nothing of such stuff. It felt a bit weird, he used to get hit a few times back when he was experimenting with older alphas after his rescue, but somehow he was able to cover it up perfectly. How did he do that again?

 

Owh yeah. Most people at the shelter who had been through the same ordeal as him. They were used to carrying around concealers with them so he always used theirs. Jeonghan sighed, this was the first time he got hit in years, which was why he never bothered to buy a concealer for himself in the first place. And damn, it hurt like hell.

 

How the hell would he go to class like this? People would start talking, lecturers would call him to the side and ask what happened, he could even imagine the school councilor giving him a visit. It was, of concern for his scholarship anyways.

 

Jeonghan slapped his forehead at a sudden realization that today was Saturday. He didn’t have classes which meant he didn’t have to bother hiding it. Because he had no place to be and no one to meet.

 

… yeah. He had no one to meet. And no place to be…

 

Because obviously, unlike all the weekends he had been spending since he started college, there was no way he was going to return to the club tonight. Not after what happened last night, and not looking like this. He would look so pathetic and desperate, and that was not the image he would want to show his potential sex partner. So, unlike all the past Saturdays and Sundays, today he would be all alone. But it was fine, he would probably be too focused on recovering that he doubt his mental problems would even have the chance to bother him.

 

Maybe. Well, now that he thought of it, he should find something to do anyway. Just to be sure.

 

What should he do? Having no free time for himself for almost two months, Jeonghan almost forgot what he used to do back at the shelter. He remembered being busy, but it was hard to recall doing what exactly.

 

…owh. Helping the volunteers, playing with the children, helping preparing for events… something he couldn’t really do here. Because there were no children, and this was not the shelter. And, he was here all alone.

 

So, basically, he had nothing to do. Should he just stay in bed and sleep? Will that trigger his depression? He wouldn’t want that, not when he was already out of bed and done washing his face…

 

Laying his head on the table, Jeonghan started to bring out the new phone he bought last month using the scholarship money. The ones from his books were for his future career so he promised himself not to touch it. Opening the usual Youtube to check for interesting videos which he watched for a while followed by other websites, the young student closed everything out of boredom. Scrolling through to see what applications he had installed and opening it one by one out of curiousity, he finally decided to view his gallery, hoping to find something he could reminisce. He hadn’t transferred all the pictures from his old phones yet, having been too lazy to set it up but it didn’t matter. He was just interested to see what he had been doing this past few months since he entered college, hoping to find some idea for what he should be doing today.

 

Nothing. There were only pictures of food he ate, and the notes he exchanged with his classmates. And that damned drug dealer who hit him last night.

 

Was his life really that mundane? It didn’t feel like that though, he had enough partying and sex so his social life was great. Of course, that was not something he bothered taking pictures of…

Jumping a little from the sudden vibration and notice on the screen, Jeonghan couldn’t help but feel a bit excited, receiving a message just at the right time when he was about to dive into his depression. That excitement was short-lived though as he realized it was one from their class group chat, some kid just asking for help with his homework. And look, already people were spamming the chat room with answers, another questions and memes. Don’t they have a life?

 

Muting the phone and laying it face down, Jeonghan decided it was best for him to shower and cool down his head. Obviously today was not a good day to begin with, and his mental issues were starting to take control of him. He needed to do something to distract himself. Even though he was not in a hotel with some alpha and getting lunch together like every weekends, he should at least think about what to eat. Even though he wouldn’t be getting ready for another party tonight, he should at least dress properly and go out. Just like any other weekends, he needed to make sure the dark thoughts never even have the room to appear.

 

Laying back on his bed, still in his bathrobe, Jeonghan wondered what kind of activity he should do today before deciding what to wear. Should he head to the library and read some books? That was the only think he could think of that would not involve bothersome human interaction. Not only have that, maybe he could even find some ideas for his writings.

 

Yes, the library seemed like a great idea.

 

*****

 

‘Hey Coups!’ The sudden loud voice shocked Seungcheol who quickly closed his ex’s Instagram, somehow feeling like he did something wrong. Of course, still stalking Woo Ri after their break could be considered wrong, but that was not enough reason to call him out. Waiting for the footsteps to slow down before turning his head again to look at his basketball club senior, he greeted the man. ‘You’re busy tonight? Wanna join us?’

 

‘I have part-time…’ That was reason enough for him not being able to join whatever plan the senior had in mind. Although, he was, a bit curious of what the plan was, ‘Why?

 

‘You can call in sick right? Come on Coups! We’re having group date tonight but Jae cancelled on us. 5 omegas’ are coming from the women’s university!! Nurses!!’

 

‘They’re really hot! Show him the pic!’ Another voice joined in and Seungcheol caught two more seniors gathering beside him. He didn’t catch their footsteps, he wondered when they appeared. One of the threeolder ones, Jaebum, pulled out his phone and flip through a few applications, trying to find a picture of the ladies they found on Instagram, and beside him, Dongwon opened Facebook to do the same. Hongseok on the other hand, kept hopping in excitement. ‘You like noonas right?’ Dongwon asked, and Seungcheol could only smiled in wonder.

 

He never actually thought about what he liked and what he didn’t. The moment he was mature enough to develop sexual attraction towards the other gender, he was already dating Woo Ri whom he thought was the most attractive girl in the world. They are the same age so honestly, seeing younger or older girls seemed like a strange concept to him.

 

‘Come one man, we need just one more guy…’ Hongseok practically begged him, holding his hand and shaking them, pouting as an attempt to ‘aegyo’ him into accepting the invitation. Seungcheol was reluctant though, he never been to these kind of things, it would be really awkward. Besides, he was not the loud type like his seniors, and he would also have to call in sick to go so he was leaning towards not going. ‘You’re probably gonna be really popular! They like cute dongsaeng…’

 

On a second thought, this could be his chance to get over his ex-lover for good. Although he doubt he would be dating any time soon, at least, not with someone bold enough to go to group dates, this could be a really great distraction and a chance for him to discover what he really wants in a partner. Since, obviously whatever he liked in Woo Ri had proven to be a personality of a cheater.

 

‘Don’t tell me, you prefer male?’ Dongwon finally asked him after a long pause which Seungcheol didn’t realize he was doing. The question sent shivers down his spine. It was not disgusting, but it never even cross his mind to date male omegas.

 

Because, Woo Ri.

 

Again, maybe concerned from his lack of response, Jaebom figured he was indeed, interested in males. And so, in a last attempt to coax him into joining their date, he suggested, ‘They’re all omegas after all! We’ll have another with male omegas if you join us this time? How bout that?’

 

‘No, I-‘ Seungcheol tried to explain himself but before he could all three of his seniors were already discussing about the potential male omegas for the next date. Sighing inwardly, the youngest started to consider joining them seriously. Not because of the suggested ‘male omegas date’, but because he realized this might be the most perfect chance to explore his options and move on.

 

‘I… Lemme ask if someone can take over my shift.’

 

Seeing the bright faces of his senior made the youngest alpha happy as well. Without warning they pulled him up from his seat and jumped in circle as a celebration, Seungcheol laughing at their antics. Maybe he worried too much. Obviously he wouldn’t have to try so hard because these three people would help lighten the atmosphere. Who knows, maybe he could learn a thing or two about the other gender from his seniors, or even, how to get their attention. With huge grins on their faces, satisfied with their junior’s answer, all three finally made their way out of the court, reminding him, ‘So Shining Diamond at 7!’

 

‘I’ll let you know soon.’ Seungcheol screamed back, waiting a few seconds before making his own way out so things would not seemed awkward; walking in the same direction after saying goodbyes.

 

*****

 

‘Yeah. She’s busy too…’ Seungcheol thanked his colleague before reluctantly hanging up.  He had already tried three of his friends he knew didn’t have anything important to take over his shift but seeing at it was only two hours left before his job began, it was actually not surprising that none of them were available. Of course, considering the shifts were already decided a month back based on their private schedules, this outcome was a given. With his shoulders falling, his heart heavy, Seungcheol dialed his senior’s number. He thought it was better to call him to express his disappointment instead of sending a mere text.

 

‘ _It’s fine. Guess we’ll have to ask someone else._ ’

 

The younger of the two nodded in agreement, as if the other could see him through the phone. Hearing the beep on the other end, he finally let out a long sigh, letting himself fall on the bench to lie down.

 

What a bummer. He was already looking forward into meeting those older women. They must be so different the girls his age. He imagined them being confident in themselves, knowing what they want in their partners and focusing on it instead of busy chasing attention of anyone who shows even the slightest interest like the younger ones. Or, maybe he was thinking of middle-aged women? Come to think of it, the oldest they could get were only two or three years older than him. He doubt people mature that much in that time...

 

Yeah, maybe he was expecting too much. Omegas going to group dates were probably just as desperate as the ones partying and sleeping around every chance they got.

 

Maybe, he was not missing out. Because, those kind of people wouldn’t make a good mate. They would probably live their lives being hungry for attention so much so that they won’t be able to settle down with one alpha for the rest of their lives. Although a bond would make it easier for them to stay faithful, Seungcheol couldn’t imagine being with someone whose heart longs for those complimenting their perfections instead of the ones accepting of their flaws.

 

Someone like Woo Ri.

 

Owh god, why was he thinking about her again? This was getting so annoying. She used to only appear whenever he thought of something beautiful but now, months after their break, even the worst thoughts leads to her! It was getting so annoying! It made him realize how much he had been putting up with her, how badly she had played him and how pathetic he was all those years. And he really wanted to stop feeling that way. It really hurt his ego, or whatever was left of it.

 

Damnit, now he really needed to do something to distract himself. There was still time, should he go to the gym? Runni-

 

‘Why the long face?’

 

*****

 

Squinting his eyes from the bright light, Jeonghan turned away from the sky and continued walking towards the park, making sure he wouldn’t step on some big rocks. There is an official walkway to the library, but he was not in the mood to take a long detour when he could just walk on the grass between the trees to get there faster. It was not as if it was forbidden, there were tables and benches on the field. The university obviously placed them there as a hint for the students to use their brains instead of just following the rules blindly.

 

Jeonghan smirked as he saw a person lying on the bench, finding gesture of the light-hearted person to be pleasing. Not many could just sleep in a public place without caring about others, in fact he himself aims to be someone who could just sleep anywhere without a care in the world. Finding himself recognizing the scent, the omega stopped his steps and peeked at the person.

 

He was right. The man was Seungcheol. But, what was he doing here?

 

Should… he say hello? Their last meeting did, end up better than their other ones… but that didn’t mean they were friends. Right? Because, alphas. Also, he remembered not wanting to talk today because the one tiny cut on his lips which hurt like a bastard every time he tried to talk. So, maybe he should pretend he didn’t notice the other man.

 

But… again, what was Seungcheol doing here alone? His face looked like he was thinking. Hard. He had a really deep frown, even the one he saw back when the man screamed at him was not that deep. Was he having trouble?

 

Owh. Was he _actually_ having trouble?

 

Now that would be a different story because Jeonghan needed something to cheer him up, real bad. Today was not a good day, listening to other people’s crappy problem would make him feel so much better. He was hoping for Seungcheol to have a really rotten day like getting beaten up or, someone died because then, what happened to him last night would feel so insignificant. Sadistic thoughts? Sure. He was starting to get used to it.

 

Walking slowly towards the bench, secretly hoping the other would notice his movement and scramble from embarrassment, Jeonghan decided to sit on the opposite site of the table. With no change in the man’s pose which was disappointing, he decided to stare at the man to trigger some discomfort. He wondered what was bothering Seungcheol so much that he kept furrowing his eyebrows. Tapping his fingers to no avail, the omega decided to announce his presence to the other, begrudgingly. ‘Why the long face?’

 

A slight shake accompanied by a forceful thud, followed by a hiss curved a smile on the long-haired male. He was hoping for a shocked reaction, he wasn’t expecting a delightful comedic slapstick one. Resting his head on his hands, waiting for the disheveled alpha to gain his cool, Jeonghan tilted his head bit to get the man’s attention. ‘Owh you. Jeonghan…Since when-?’

 

‘Just got here. You seemed too distracted to notice.’ He kept looking at the alpha, slightly concerned about his head. That bump was loud, it must have hurt but it seemed the other was too flustered, probably embarrassed by his own action to even touch his head. Seungcheol kept his gaze elsewhere, an action Jeonghan found interesting. Teasing this man must be really fun.

 

‘Choi Seungcheol?’ He tried calling, and as expected, the other quickly turned his head like a puppy being offered snacks. It suddenly reminded him of orientation night, when Seungcheol suddenly became obedient after a kiss. Such a weird alpha. Noticing the man staring at him without a word, and the gulp when their eyes meet moments before Seungcheol looked away in panic, Jeonghan became curious as to what he was thinking. ‘What’s wrong?’

 

‘Your hair.’

 

Jeonghan looked down, noticing his hairs on his shoulders. He didn’t even realize how he looked today before going out. He didn’t care. ‘Owh, I’m too lazy to tie-‘

 

‘- for a moment I thought you’re a girl…’ Jeonghan smiled bitterly. Of course, that was the reason he even bothered keeping them long. ‘I don’t mean in a bad way-’

 

‘I know. Long hair, pretty. I get it.’ he almost added ‘whatever’ to the list. He knew he looked like a girl, and he heard every single reason why one would think that. Without the hair, people tend to treat him like a feminine male, almost harshly as it hurt the alphas’ machoist ego but with the hair, he was a beautiful one. And that fine line gave him the upper hand in the relationship. Being the beautiful male omega made them desperate for his attention.

 

Giving Seungcheol a polite smile, Jeonghan stared down at the table instead. He already regretted sitting down in the first place, the comment made him nervous out of the blue. He didn’t want to be here and talk only to realize that Seungcheol was the same as all the other alphas because by then, the man would think Jeonghan had interest in him and start pestering him like his friend. Not that he knew how to continue the conversation to begin with. Although he was good at teasing alphas, most of it end up in hot physical action immediately. Obviously here, out in the open, that would never happen.

 

‘Yeah… haven’t heard that in a while.’ The last sentence was a murmur it was almost inaudible but the park was quiet, so the omega caught it. Frowning in interest, he decided to ask the alpha to explain it. Now that he thought about it, Seungcheol too, was really pretty like a girl. That was, before he suddenly bulk up before starting college. ‘I’m building muscles.’

 

‘To look masculine?’

 

‘I guess? I dunno. They stop saying it once I got big enough so…’

 

Okay, so the muscles were not to attract omega’s attention. But then again, this was Seungcheol. He bet even if he was naked in the room all turned on, just the two of them, this guy would turn around and tell him to put some clothes on before frantically searching for a door to escape. There was no way things would get physical between them.

 

Seungcheol is a broken alpha after all.

 

Silence again embraced both the young males. Not used to being alone with an alpha without any action, Jeonghan was really regretting his decision to sit down. Because right now, he was getting bored, but he didn’t want to seem rude and leave. He could sense the dark-haired man felt uncomfortable as well, he just gave Jeonghan a weird smile when their eyes met, showing his deep dimple. 

 

Owh yeah, that frown. He still needed a bad story to make his day bette-

 

‘Hey what happened?’ Jeonghan was caught off-guard with the sudden question, wondering what the man was talking about. ‘You’re hurt.’

 

Shit. He forgot to cover his cheek. Not wanting to recall what happen or even think of an excuse, Jeonghan decided it was best for him to just change the subject altogether. Maybe he could just leave. No, leaving would make the man curious, and that was not something he want because people being curious about him always ends up being all over in his business to feed their thirst. ‘You still didn’t tell me why you have that cute frown.’

 

 

‘No, yo-‘ Seungcheol sighed, realizing the omega’s reluctance. He could guess what happened, and he knew it was not an easy thing to admit, being hit by your lover. Still he wondered why Jeonghan still stick with the man, he thought the omega wanted to change his life, at least, that was what he heard from Taeyong about the book’s ending since he didn’t have the courage to read it through. But he was not seeing any attempt on doing so as the man still kept with his bad life choices. Not that it was any of his business to begin with.

 

But, the least he could do was not push the man away. Even though they had nothing to do with each other, they talked a few times, so they were no strangers. If anything bad were to happen to Jeonghan because he was too proud to be his buddy, Seungcheol knew would regret it all his life. A little kindness never hurt anyone right?

 

Sighing, he decided to amuse the man with his story instead. Maybe the man needed it more than concern over his face, ‘Everyone’s too busy to take my shift tonight.’

 

‘Café?’ He nodded at the guess. Jeonghan was there once, it was not surprising that he knew it. ‘…and you’re frowning cus…?’ the prettier male continued, face really expectant, something Seungcheol wondered why. Obviously he had something he wanted to do which was why he wanted someone to take his place, and since nobody could, obviously he could not do said something. Did he really need to explain what ‘something’ is?

 

‘I… kinda have date… group date tonight.’

 

Seungcheol swear he saw the omega roll his eyes which somehow made him feel ashamed of what he just said. To be honest, it was an embarrassing activity, but his senior’s convincing coax made him all excited about it enough to forget that feeling. Now that he knew he could no longer do it, all the negative perception on the activity came back to him, making him thankful that he had to work tonight.

 

‘Ladies?’ Jeonghan asked to which he agreed. The more they talk about the subject, the more embarrassing he felt for even considering the idea. He felt really stupid right now. ‘So you like girls?’

 

‘I uh…’ Again, he didn’t know. He never thought about being with males, and he really like females so the answer was yes. At the same time, no. Because he didn’t prefer one over the other, he just never thought about it in the first place. Should he explain it to Jeonghan though?

 

‘Explains why you pushed me away that night.’

_Owh, shit_. So he was… that night wasn’t even because of that. He was just in a bad place, he was not disgusted by Jeonghan or anything like that, ‘No, that was…’

 

‘It’s fine. To each their own.’ Jeonghan got up from his seat, panicking the alpha who now desperate to explain himself. He didn’t know whether to stop Jeonghan or let him leave because he didn’t know if he could justify his answer clearly without sounding offensive or desperate. Because then he would have to explain about Woo Ri and then he would sound like a pathetic alpha played by an omega, and it would turn into the story of his heartbreak and still it wouldn’t explain his preference-

 

Shit. Jeonghan was gone. He screwed up.

 

He should apologize…

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan’s sadistic way of leaving really left Coups feeling all guilty right? FYI, he was a bit pissed by the answer, but he took advantage of it as an excuse to leave Coups to avoid being asked about the bruise on his face :D
> 
> Poor guy’s left feeling bad about himself though XD
> 
> Anyways I know Hannie needs to stop going to those places but he can’t :( I’ll explain the reason later so don’t hate him T_T
> 
>  
> 
> So, this was a long one and I thought about cutting it in half like the last chapter but some readers sometimes forgot to read the first post and go straight to the latest chapter so I’ll just post this as one, long chapter ^^
> 
> I’ll try not to write long chapters in the future to stop confusing you lovely readers!
> 
>  
> 
> As always, do share me your thoughts on the chapter and the characters, I’d love to hear it! I’ll try my best to update regularly! HWAITING! Love you readers so much <3<3


	10. Chapter 10

The moving shadow seen from beneath the door confirmed the presence of the owner. Knocking a few times to announce his presence, Seungcheol opened the door and leaned against it, greeting Taeyong whom he hadn’t met in a while.

 

They used to be close, but being in different courses, they drifted apart naturally. Though they still hang out with each other once in a while, it was not how he had imagined their friendship to be at the beginning of their campus life. Taeyong is friendly with everyone so he was quick to form his own pack while Seungcheol could not fit in any – because he was not used to being in one.

 

Unlike other alphas, he had always been one half of a couple instead of a pack. Hierarchies and natural orders, albeit not a strict one, never felt natural to him like it did others. Not hanging out with other alphas as much, and spending time with his then-girlfriend instead, he turned mild. Seungcheol became more of a beta, trait-wise. When he was supposed to be testosterone-filled aggressive alpha teenager, he became mushy with love instead.  As a result, he wasn’t as easy to provoke, not eager to fight, and certainly, not crazy for other omegas. It occurred to him some time ago that the reason why their stronger kinds are meant to be with the weaker omegas, was to balance each other. It was a romantic thought, and he was always laughed at by his friends but he still thought it was true to this day, despite everything.

 

‘Yo Coups!’ Taeyong welcomed him with a hug. Groaning from the force, Seungcheol laughed, inwardly thinking of a way to ask for Jeonghan’s contacts without implying that he was interested in the omega that his friend was after. He thought returning the man’s book could be a good chance to do so, but now that he was here, he realized that was not enough reason. Still, he was already here with the book, it wouldn’t be right to leave with it. ‘Here.’

 

Taeyong’s face fell at the sight, surprising Seungcheol who was holding on to the man’s excitement so he they could talk about it. This, was unexpected. ‘You finally read it.’

 

‘Not really. I skipped a lot.’ He laughed, trying to ease the tension. ‘How’d you even finish it?’ he tried again, hoping the man would bite the bait but instead, he gave Seungcheol a forced smile.

 

What happened between them? Last time they saw each other, his friend was still eager to get to know Jeonghan and got very enthusiastic every time the name was mentioned. Now it seemed, he just lost interest. He was not hating the man, Seungcheol didn’t get that vibe. It was like, the obsession he had was just, gone. ‘I got into it. Maybe too much.’ A sigh. ‘Anyway, you can have that. I’m done.’

 

The air was solemn. Seungcheol could only gave him a bitter smile, a condolence for his lost. Though he wanted to let it be and give his friend space, he couldn’t help but be curious of the reason. Because although the omega might be cold with his words, he didn’t seem like a bad person. And, not to mention, they slept together so it must have meant something… If Seungcheol could talk to Jeonghan a few times after orientation despite their bad start, he doubt the omega would leave his gentle friend hanging.

 

Just, why?

 

‘He’s hopeless.’ Taeyong suddenly answered his question, understanding his obvious silence, ‘I mean, he’s attractive and all but he’s never gonna be a good mate.’

 

‘Owh…’ Seungcheol couldn’t help but frown at the comment. He didn’t know Jeonghan enough to make that judgement, but that was a bit harsh, especially coming from Taeyong who apparently had been adoring the other since a while back. It made him wonder what Jeonghan did to his friend to cause him to feel this way. ‘You know he sleeps around right?’

 

‘…yeah.’ Of course, he was infamous for it. But, Taeyong knew about it from the very beginning. That couldn’t have been the tie-breaker. Besides, from the rumours he heard, he would have imagined Jeonghan sleeping with different alphas all the time but the few times they met, he never smelled any alphas on him, not even the one he got into a fight with at the cafe. Sometimes Seungcheol found himself wondering whether the rumours were even true.

 

‘People like that won’t stick with one person for the rest of their lives right? You should know, your girlfriend’s just like him- ahh,’ Seungcheol felt a pang in his heart at the sudden mention of his ex-girlfriend. Although he was trying hard not to react, he could feel his jaw clenched as he swallowed to wet his dry throat. ‘Sorry Coups, I didn’t…’

 

‘You’re not wrong…’ he forced himself to speak, trying to laugh it off. His friend was telling the truth anyway, she did, cheat on him and sleep with other people.

 

‘I was just tryna make a point… He’s like a male version of Woo Ri so-’

 

‘Point understood.’ He cut the other off, not wanting to hear anymore excuse. He get what Taeyong was trying to say, he could also understand his reasoning, and honestly, he would have agreed completely had he not seen the way Jeonghan had been reacting towards the alphas around him. Most of their meetings, the omega had been avoiding alphas for one reason or another. The man seemed complex, but Seungcheol somehow got the impression that Jeonghan didn’t enjoy his experience with alphas as much as people thought.

 

But he could be wrong. He was wrong about Woo Ri, and he had only known Jeonghan for two months or less. Taeyong had been following the male omega for a few years, they even shared an intimate night together. It was obvious who should be the judge.

 

Not wanting to stay and torture his guilt-ridden friend, and himself from the reminiscence of his broken relationship, Seungcheol decide to leave Taeyong be. ‘I’ll take this away then.’

 

Making his way back to his room, locking the door behind, Seungcheol threw the book on the bed, staring at it. He knew Taeyong only mentioned his ex-lover to emphasize his point but having Jeonghan being compared to Woo Ri made him despise the former, for the few moments before he realized it shouldn’t matter. He was not interested in the male nor would he ever go out with the omega anyway so, trivial things like that should not affect him.

 

Yes, there was no way he would even consider going out with someone like Jeonghan. The man’s choice of lifestyle shouldn’t matter to him.

 

Also, he was not trying to get Jeonghan’s contact details so he could get to know the omega better or anything, he just felt bad for what he said yesterday and wanted to apologize. They should be back to being strangers after this.

 

Yes, he shouldn’t care about Jeonghan.

 

*****

 

‘So… do you come here every day?’ Jeonghan asked as he looked around the research group’s room, noting the refrigerator where Joshua probably keep all his banana milks. There was only three people in the whole room, two being themselves. With all the furniture and resources here, the room was almost like a private library and yet, there were only a few people which was such a waste. ‘What… do you guys even do here?’

 

Upon hearing the question, Joshua turned his head around and scanned the room, silently scoffed a bemused laugh at the situation, ‘Research, I guess.  I think the group gets busy from the end of the year.’

 

‘Research? What kind?’ Jeonghan found himself interested in the subject. He had free time, he followed Joshua back here when they met at the library yesterday and now, he was enjoying the relaxing ambience of the room. Too bad he could only access here in the presence of the foreigner hence why he had to ask if Joshua would be here before coming.

 

‘Erm… social etiquettes and stuff.’ Jeonghan read the titles of the books on the shelves. Unlike what he expected, the title was as boring as they look with no intention of catching the eye of new readers. Just, straight to the point. Widening his eyes which almost closed from boredom, he looked at what the other omega was doing, reading his writings. ‘Your Korean sucks.’

 

‘Ouch.’ The man playfully responded, ‘Mine’s gonna be in English so no worries.’

 

Smiling at the answer, nodding his head just because, Jeonghan started to flip through the other’s notebook, trying to find something fun to do. Granted he came here to relax, but that was only because he had nothing else to do and spending time with someone seemed better than being in his room all alone hiding from people. He still hadn’t bought a concealer, and he was still a bit shaken from what happened. He doubt he would be going to the club for a while hence his mission to find a new hobby. ‘Josh, what do you do during your free time?’

 

‘Hrmm… reading?’

 

‘Heol, really? Like, right now?’

 

‘Urm, yeah. I joined a few clubs but stopped after meeting my girlfriend the-‘

 

‘Woah.’ Jeonghan stopped the man from continuing. Joshua just mentioned something really interesting and he wished to skip through it? Not going to happen. ‘Girlfriend?? Alpha?’

 

Joshua stared at him, closing his eyes a few times probably not understanding his eagerness. ‘She’s a beta.’

 

‘What?’ Jeonghan almost screamed at the reveal. A male omega and a female beta? That was like the rarest pairing he ever heard. How do they have sex? Well, obviously he knew how they would have sex but how do Joshua even get off? How would he get through his heat? Should he ask? He was really dying to know.

 

He should.

 

But wait, this guy actually have a girlfriend? First of all, he looked like a total nerd, and he is, an actual nerd with weird habits. And second, his Korean is a bit funny, he wondered how Joshua flirted with his girlfriend. Did he use weird Korean pickup line? That would be so fun to watch.

 

Shit, he just imagined Joshua trying to pick up chicks at the bar, with his weird accent. And oh god, why did he imagine the man holding banana milk instead of a beer?

 

‘Ouch.’ Jeonghan hissed, realizing he had been laughing hard at his own imagination, causing the cut on his lip to open. Licking the wound, and calming himself down, the long-haired male turned to face his companion. He could see that Joshua was curious as to why he was enjoying himself enough to hurt but he couldn’t bring himself to say it, it would be too cruel. But… he still wanted to know how Joshua’s girlfriend looked like.

 

‘She’s Korean-American.’

 

‘Ahh…’ So he didn’t have to use weird Korean pick-up line after all. What a bummer, that was a fun thought. ‘So you guys do American things together?’

 

‘Define American things.’ Joshua asked, to which Jeonghan could only lift his shoulders. Since they were both from the States, he couldn’t imagine them doing Korean things like karaoke and going to saunas, eating pork ribs… the usual stuffs.

 

…not that, he ever did that himself.

 

Now that Jeonghan thought about it, he never tried any of that either. He never had the chance to experience it because, for obvious reason, most people at the shelter weren’t as eager to have fun as they were trying to recover and survive each day, which was the reason why he decided to search for ‘fun’ outside the shelter. Which lead him to the alphas he knew whom, also for obvious reason, were much more interested in sex than hanging out in public places. So yeah, he never experienced the ‘Korean things’ either.

 

‘Hey Josh…’ Jeonghan spoke up after a long pause, carefully considering what he was about to suggest, ‘Do you wanna do those stuffs together? I mean, you can bring you girl if you want to…’

 

‘She’s travels a lot so it’s fine. But sure… sounds interesting. I’ve always wanted to go to saunas and do that double side buns. We can sleep there right?’

 

‘I don’t know. Maybe?’ Realizing how much he knew about those stuff made Jeonghan doubt himself. It sounded like a really good plan, both getting to experience what everyone did during their childhood for the first time without judging the other but, at the same time, neither of them knew how to do it. People play games at the sauna, dance at the karaoke, eat a certain way at the barbeque but neither of them had a clue how to enjoy it the way others do. Not to mention, he would be going with this person whom he just hang out with out of convenience, what if they fail to understand the excitement of the activity and end up being in an awkward situation?

 

‘I guess, we should find someone with experience?’ Joshua suggested before leaning against his chair trying to think of someone he knew who would join their outing. Seeing that, Jeonghan started to wonder as well despite his lack of network. He had no close friends on campus, but he knew a few of them who seemed to be experienced in this field. The only question was, would he be able to tolerate being with them for a long while?

 

Who should he ask?

 

*****

 

Seungcheol looked at his watch, noting the time for the end of lecture. Jeonghan should be out any minute now.

 

It took his dumb mind some time but he realized Jeonghan was famous. Even without Taeyong, all he needed to do to get information on the omega was ask a few people. Just doing so, he knew everything from his class schedule to his room number. Seungcheol knew the man was well-known, but it never occurred to him to what extent. The amount of information people knew about him was impressive, and yet it was also disturbing how easily they gave it away to basically, just anyone. It felt like a breach of privacy but nevertheless, he had gotten this far, he should go through with it.

 

A wave of students made their way out of the main door, signifying the end of the lecture. Recognizing one of the faces, the omega who gave him Jeonghan’s schedule, Seungcheol stood up, ready to greet the long-haired man. It took quite a while, he almost thought the man didn’t show up before he appeared, alone with earphones attached to his ears. Waving his hand, Seungcheol mouthed a ‘hey’ before walking towards him.

 

‘Owh. Coups…’ Jeonghan looked around, obviously a bit weirded out about his presence because there was no reason why an engineering student would even be at their department in the first place. Judging from his face, Jeonghan seemed a bit uncomfortable but he was not trying to run away. More like, he was preparing to argue - his jaw was clenched. A little too defensive but that didn’t surprise Seungcheol. Every time they meet, there was always a reason why he would act like that. Albeit knowing it wasn’t a good thought, it made him wonder whether what happened to Jeonghan was because of his own bitter personality, or he became like this because of what had been happening to him. Not, his childhood, obviously; the incidents with all the other alphas the last months.

 

Ignoring the unwelcoming reaction, Seungcheol handed Jeonghan a plastic bag containing some ointment and cream he bought from the drugstore for the pain. He came to apologize, sure, but he couldn’t just do so and pretend he didn’t notice the obvious swell Jeonghan somehow successfully hid. He even had his hair down to help cover it up. With the omega just looking at the bag, refusing to accept it, Seungcheol added, making a gesture with his hand up and down in front of his face, ‘For your cheek. And lips.’

 

Jeonghan was hesitant, he was staring at the alpha hard. ‘Owh yeah. You don’t owe me. It’s uh, an apology, for what I said.’

 

The soft smirk on the omega’s face, showing his lowered defense made him smile as well, as if he just achieved something really good. ‘Okay... But, what did you say?’

 

‘Huh?’

 

‘Why’re you sorry?’ Jeonghan’s question confused the man. He swore the former was offended about him not liking man enough to leave without any word. It was a misunderstanding he was determined to explain. Maybe, the same thing had been said to Jeonghan many times that he didn’t care about it anymore? Even if that was the case, Seungcheol couldn’t just let it be because, he was clearly hurt about it that time. And Seungcheol was not okay with hurting people.  ‘I said I like girls.’

 

‘Pffttt.’ The smaller of the two blew, amused at the answer. Again, the reaction confused the alpha. ‘Why do you need to apologize for that? You can like grandmas for all I care…’

 

‘I don’t hate males. I just prefer girls.’ He didn’t know whether Jeonghan said that to ease the tension but he still thought he had to make things clear. Because he rejected the man before, he basically told him he disagreed with his choice of sleeping partner, and then, he told the man he liked females. Maybe he was overthinking things but to Seungcheol, this was important. It was important for him to let Jeonghan know that he didn’t hate him, and his life choices. He was not judging the omega.

 

‘Gosh, you’re a sorry one aren’t you?’ Jeonghan commented, to which he only lifted both shoulders and smiled. He is an apologetic person, always had been. That never hurt anyone before, so he didn’t see the need to fix it. Walking alongside the omega who lead them to a nearby bench, he sat, not knowing what else to say. He didn’t prepare for a conversation, he only wanted to apologize, pass him the cream and leave. ‘So,’ Jeonghan started, facing him, his eyes bright in anticipation, ‘you’ve tried man before?’

 

Shit, this topic again. Now that he said his sorry, Seungcheol knew would need to proceed real careful. Shit, can’t he find some excuse to go? ‘N-no.’

 

‘But you said you don’t hate guys… Don’t tell me, you never tried but you already made your decision.’

 

‘-but, not because I don’t like it! I mean, people have preference right? Just because I never tried dru-‘ Seungcheol bit his tongue, merely seconds from killing himself. Obviously, drugs were not a good comparison to sleeping with guys. Nor was alcohol. Breathing in slowly, thinking of a good reply, he restarted, ‘I mean, like, I like basketball, but I never tried jungle trekking before, and I don’t plan to. I just, prefer sports with balls.’

 

‘You prefer… sports with balls?’ Jeonghan repeated really slowly, he thought the man was trying to process his strange comparison. At first. But the weird movement of his mouth obviously holding in something, laughter maybe, made the alpha realized what he just said. A really embarrassing sexual innuendo, worse, even one that imply the exact opposite of his preference. At this moment, he knew it was showing, his ears was getting warmer. And Jeonghan noticed it, suddenly bursting into laughter with his head thrown back. ‘I don’t mean-‘

 

‘Balls?’

 

‘Yaah!’

 

‘Did I convert you?’ The attack just kept coming to his dismay, but somehow he was not offended. Rather, he felt warm. Why?

 

Owh, Jeonghan’s laughter. This was his first time seeing this side of the omega, and really, he looked really beautiful laughing, his eyes squinted a bit, his mouth opened wide to reveal his perfect set of teeth, and he had a pretty laughter, unlike Seungcheol’s own which consists of him furrowing his brows and revealing his gums as well. ‘Ahhk!’

 

Scoffing at the sudden weird noise, the teased victim shook his head, taking the cream he bought from the plastic and pass it to the now whining man. Jeonghan took it from him, but pass it back while rubbing the tears from his eyes. ‘How do you use this? Inside the mouth?’

 

Seungcheol broke the seal and squirted it out a bit, revealing a gel-like consistency before reading what was written. Confirming the question, he passed it back to the hurting male, ‘Safe to consume.’

 

‘I can eat it?’

 

‘Haha.’ He sarcastically laughed, earning a polite smile from the other. Jeonghan applied the gel on his lips, and when he was done, looked around for something. Taking out some tissue from his bag, Seungcheol offered it to the man. ‘So?’

 

‘It’s cold. Still hurts though, a bit.’ He nodded. It was not pain relief, it helps the healing process so that was a given. ‘Thanks.’

 

‘No probs.’ The omega took out the ointment and started reading the information, Seungcheol finding himself doing the same with the cream. Stopping halfway, not knowing why he did so in the first place as he already read the label when he bought it, he started to recall that laughter a few moments ago. And a certain comment from his friend.

 

He knew it was too early to judge but he just couldn’t see any similarity between this guy and his ex-lover. It might be his hatred-clouded judgement but over the years, he realized it was harder to get any sincere reaction from Woo Ri which was why he started to appreciate it more when she did. On the other hand, Yoon Jeonghan seemed genuine? He gets mad when he wants to, leaves whenever he felt like it, heck, he even challenge alphas when he felt threatened. He made it really clear when he felt attraction, and laugh, when he wants. Seungcheol might not know the man long enough to know everything about him, but he felt like he could, know the real him. Unlike Woo Ri with whom he always have to be careful with his words and actions because she never speak her real mind, he knew the male omega in front of him would.

 

So no, he didn’t think Yoon Jeonghan was like Woo Ri. Or the other way around.

 

Although… he didn’t read the man’s book until the end so Taeyong might actually know what he was talking about. He doubt it but, there was a slight chance that he might be wrong. Maybe, just like his ex, the guy knew how to push the right button to make people crazy over him. Maybe, that was what Taeyong meant when he said Jeonghan’s a male Woo Ri.

 

‘Hey Coups,’ Jeonghan’s voice broke him from his thought and Seungcheol realized he had been staring. Turning his face away from the man, he responded, waiting for an answer.

 

‘Wanna be my alpha friend?’

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a real interaction between the two!! It’s been a while since they met but this is the first time they really sit down and talk about each other calmly so yay!!!!
> 
> Taeyong comparing Woo Ri and Hannie’s a bit too much right? Hannie didn’t cheat on him, he just rejected Tae’s advance >:( Let’s hope Coups’ smart enough to ignore that remark!
> 
>  
> 
> 80+kudoss!! *throws confetti*
> 
> Thank you so much for putting your trust in this fic guys!!! I won't let you down!!! Fighting!!!
> 
> Finally, I know the story’s a bit slow but I’d like to say thank you for all you readers and subscribers for your continuous support! Just watching the view increasing is enough to motivate me to write more! Love you guys so much!! <3<3


	11. Chapter 11

  _‘Now be a good boy and sit on ahjusshi…’_

 

Jeonghan desperately gasped for air as he sat himself up, heaving as he looked around, trying to find an escape. He didn’t want to do it anymore. He had to find a way ou-

 

Owh, fuck. His head felt like it was hit by a brick. Air was coming out from his lungs, filling his throat. Stumbling on his feet, Jeonghan rushed to the slightly opened door, hoping he had the right one because if he wasn’t someone would have to clean the floor after him.

 

‘Blearghhh!!’ Spilling yesterday’s lunch, because obviously, he didn’t have dinner, Jeonghan forced his body to clear his stomach content as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to spend a lot of time throwing up. He just wanted to get it over with, go home and get his fucking pills.

 

He had that fucking dream again. One of those dreams. Still haunting him after a decade.

 

Deciding he had nothing else to spill, Jeonghan got up from the floor and flushed the bowl, dragging his legs to the sink. The cold water filling his mouth felt refreshing, but it was still too early for him gurgle due to gag reflex, and so, he opted with a simple wash. Then, he wet his whole head, finding the cold great against his terrible headache.

 

Why the heck did he get so intoxicated enough to have such a bad hangover? He always had good control of his alcohol intake, he still wants to have clear conscious when sleeping with strangers. He was never this reckless…

 

Unless…

 

Jeonghan closed his eyes, trying to control his anger with himself. He remembered this damned scent. It was similar to one of ‘his regulars’. Being around alphas with those pheromones would give him flashbacks of his past, triggering his trauma and making him sick to his stomach which is why he would usually avoid them. But on rare occasions, when he stumbled upon them already halfway drunk, and with them releasing their sexual aura, it would messed up his mind and his would subconsciously be submissive and sleep with them. Just like the useless, dumb little Yoon Jeonghan.

 

That little bastard was so afraid he would get punished, just smelling the alphas was enough to wet him. And because of his fucking cowardice, now Jeonghan associates alphas having certain scents with him having to submit to them, and despite how much he tried to fight it, it would only trigger his panic attacks. Just one of the ways his past fucks with him.

 

Not wanting to be in the presence of the alpha any longer, Jeonghan started to gather his clothes and wore it. He wanted to be home as soon as possible so he could clean every single part of his body, thoroughly scrubbing every inch. There was no way he would do it here. He didn’t want to spend even a moment longer breathing the same air as the bastard. Turning around, half panicking, Jeonghan breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of used condoms. At least he didn’t get the cum inside because that would be painful to clean.

 

‘You’re up…’ the omega pretended to not notice the hoarse voice of the alpha. ‘Already leaving?’

 

Patting his pockets to make sure he had his keys, wallet and phone, Jeonghan took out some money and placed on the drawer, glaring at the alpha who was still talking, trying to get his attention. Without saying a word, he sneered in disgust, closing the door behind him and walking away as quick as he could.

 

Stopping by a pharmacy to buy a morning after pill, Jeonghan pop one instantly, washing it down with plain water.

 

He was not taking any chances. Especially not with those alphas with disgusting scents.

 

*****

Done washing everything off his body, putting lotion to ease to slight pain from over scrubbing, Jeonghan stared at the drawer beside the table. He put all his pills inside there, he was considering bringing some in his little container just in case. Memories of his childhood like what he had this morning, added with the disgusting experience usually lead to self-hatred and self-harm, and that was something he really despised, amongst all his issues. Because unlike all the others, it would be hard for him to get back to his normal state with just the pills.

 

That being said, there are usually signs before he start loathing himself, so if he could prevent that from happening, maybe it would not be as serious. Taking everything out from the drawer, Jeonghan started to read the label, trying to predict what he would need. After almost half an hour doing so, he searched for his tumbler and filled it with water. Just in case.

 

Looking out the window, Jeonghan realized how beautiful the day was. He needed to go out. Anything that could distract him today, he should do. He should stop himself from thinking, and dreaming for a few days just to be sure.

 

‘Shit!’ Jeonghan scrambled for his bag the moment he realized it was Friday, and he was really late for his class. He completely lost track of time focusing on getting rid of any trace of the alpha from this morning. Running towards his department, half knowing that he wouldn’t make it, Jeonghan stopped his track as he saw some of his classmates outside, doing nothing.

 

They wouldn’t skip the lecture, right?

 

A bit uneased, Jeonghan started to weigh the possibility of cancellation. The probability of him not getting the notice was extremely high. Not, because they purposely left him out, but because he muted the class chat room which meant anything they posted in there, he wouldn’t know. Opening the chat application, already annoyed at the number of new messages, Jeonghan let his shoulders fall and looked up, dragging his legs away in annoyance.

 

Someone posted the fucking notice last Tuesday, it was buried under tons of homework exchanges and memes.

 

Sighing, letting his hands fall to his side, Jeonghan looked around. He was already here, after all that running, it didn’t seem right to just return to his room. Everyone else were either talking, laughing or playing something with their friends, which meant there was really nothing a lone wolf could do here. Maybe he should go to Joshua’s group and hang out instead?

 

Ah, he just remembered. The other omega’s girlfriend was in Korea so he wouldn’t come here today. Looking at the watch, noting how early it was to head to the club again, Jeonghan calculated how much longer he would have to endure before he could numb his senses again tonight.

 

Another five hours. That would go by in a flash.

 

Walking towards the convenient store and buying some snacks and banana milk for his movie time at the dorm, Jeonghan decided to continue walking for a while. Since orientation, he never ventured inside the campus far enough from his own department. There could be something else he could do somewhere…

 

‘YEAAHHH!!! Wooh!!’ Jeonghan turned around to look at the group playing basketball inside the court he was walking beside. The guys were pointing and nodding at each other, taking their position.

 

Wait, was that, Choi Seungcheol?

 

Curious at the game, Jeonghan made his way closer to the court. He didn’t really want to say hi and interrupt the game, it was not as if he was interested in it either. But someone he knew was playing, he just wanted to know how good his new alpha friend was at the game.

 

Owh he just got the ball and was running towards the net. The ball got in!

 

‘Yawawoh!!’ Jeonghan lifted his eyebrows, surprised at the weird sound that the man just screamed. Laughing softly, clapping his hand from behind the wires, the omega quickly hid his delight at the sight of another familiar alpha staring back at him.

 

Lee Taeyong.

 

Of course he would be here as well. They were friends after all. Scoffing his disappointment, Jeonghan slowly closed his eyes before turning his face away from the game. To think that he thought today was going to be fine… what a joke.

 

‘Yeah!!’ Seungcheol bumped chests with his friends scoring one for the team. Turning towards Taeyong who was sitting on the bench for a brief celebration, he realized his friend was not even looking. Instead, he was clenching his jaws, as if he was mad about something. Tracing his line of sight, Seungcheol sighed inwardly as he saw a familiar face leaving the court.

 

No wonder his friend was pissed.

 

Deciding not to do anything about it and pretend not to realize, Seungcheol returned to the game, hanging his hand on his senior’s shoulders. ‘Let’s go!’

 

*****

Feeling refreshed after his shower, Seungcheol went to the lounge on his floor to watch a drama he had been following recently. There were already a few people inside when he got there, and to his disappointment, they had another show on which meant he would not be able to watch his today. Weighing his options of trying another floor’s lounge, and deciding it would be a bit awkward as he didn’t know the people there, Seungcheol decided to join the group anyway. It was not as if he would miss much, he could guess where the drama was heading even without watching every episode.

 

…and he regretted his decision. The show was boring.

 

Seungcheol closed his mouth as he yawned, resting his head on his hand laid straight on the study desk. He had no interest in the guest for the show, and they were not as funny as he hoped. Bringing his phone towards his face, unlocking it and clicking on the icon he had placed inside a folder at the very back of his interphase, the young student started to scroll his Instagram feed, automatically liking every picture he saw.

 

Shit, he just liked his ex’s post, he better unlike them now. ‘Hrm?’ Woo Ri was live right now, it made him really curious as to what she was doing. He didn’t want to click on it, what if he was the only one watching? Should he stalk her profile to see what she was up to a few minutes before for clues?

 

‘Heol.’ Seungcheol scoffed, feeling a pang in his heart at the many updates from her. He hadn’t open the application in a while but he swore she posted tons of pictures over the last few days. And look at the fucking likes on her selfies, and the photos she posted! It was as if she was not affected at all by their break! Scrolling back up to her latest update, and confirming that she was with a lot of potential viewers based on the amount of comments, Seungcheol made up his mind to watch her live to feed his curiousity.

 

‘Seriously?’ He rolled his eyes in disgust, closing the application at once. He didn’t know what she was doing but someone was recording her performing on stage singing and acting cute, and the comments she was receiving pissed him off. Good to know she finally received the attention she had always wanted. He bet most of them are creeps.

 

He knew he needed to get over her, it had been months and he even despised her at this point but why couldn’t he stop looking for her? He really needed an expert’s advice. Opening the browser, the young alpha typed in ‘how to get over ex’.

 

Wait, why were the advices weird?

 

Buy bouquet of flowers for yourself? Buy dre-

 

Ah, no wonder. He just opened a page specially written for women. Shaking his head, bemused, Seungcheol pressed the return key to look at the results but to his discontent, most of the pages were advice for women. Why? Men could get heartbroken too!

 

Annoyed, he begrudgingly added, ‘for men’.

 

‘Let see…’ Seungcheol murmured to himself as he scrolled pass the advertisement on the very top of the page. It was as if the owner purposely trying to annoy their visitor by placing it even before the main article. Ignoring the moving GIF at the sides of the screen, Seungcheol started to read.

 

Keeping self busy, check.

 

Let emotion free, hrmm… he never felt like crying, or throwing stuff. Maybe punching the people who slept with her but he was sure that is not legal.

 

Get back out there… He was not sure he was ready for that. He tried to a few times, but maybe it was too soon? How would he be able to focus on another when he was not over this one yet?

 

Next was, cut contact? That was already done a long time ago. By his ex.

 

Putting his phone down, not finding the advices helpful, Seungcheol let out a long sigh. Seriously, right now the first site he opened, the one for women, seemed more helpful than the crap he just read. Scratching his head in annoyance, pissed that he was the only one bitter, the young male bumped his head on the table a few times.

 

Wait. Revenge.

 

Owh, he just thought of a really good idea for him to move on. Piss his ex. Even though she lied to him most of the time, they were together for years, and that was enough for him to know what ticks her off because he paid attention to the little things. And one of them was, him getting the attention of other omegas. So, the best thing he could do now was, be more popular than her.

 

…

 

How the heck should he do that?

 

Should he Google ‘how to be Instafamous’?

 

Yeah, he should. Or… he could start by posting some photos of himself. Opening his profile, the alpha almost palmed his face at how bad it looked. There were almost no picture of his face, and most of his post were… why the hell did he post so many pics of food? And trees? They were not even pretty pictures!

 

Embarrassed at himself, Seungcheol decided to restart his profile all over again. He should start with a really cool picture of himself. He could swear he had some good photos somewhere…

 

 _Bzz!_ The vibration followed by a ring attracted his attention. It was a text from Jeonghan. He could read it later-

 

Wait, did he read that right? It was indeed from that omega…

 

_Did you win? - Jeonghan_

 

Seungcheol pressed his lips together, revealing his dimples. Maybe he could post his picture later. This, seemed more interesting. It had been a while since they exchanged phone number but they never contacted each other since the day Jeonghan asked him to be friends. To be honest, he almost forgot he had the man’s number until just now.

 

So, the reply. His team lost, but Jeonghan wouldn’t have to know that. It was not as if he was there watching, and there was no way he would know the result so he could always lie about it. But, should he?

 

Well… why not?

 

Except… he really didn’t want to lie about it. How should get around it without answering? Wait, the most important question right now was, how should he reply? He usually type using short forms but this guy, he typed in full spelling. Considering the fact that he was also a literature student, it might be safe to assume Jeonghan hates short forms so… he should write in full sentence with correct spellings.

 

Okay, that could be done.

 

Now, what kind of tone should he use? If he use exclamation marks will he seem too excited? Obviously if he used periods, it would seem like he was not interested in the conversation which was not the case…

 

…why the hell was he thinking too much over it? It was not as if he never texted omegas before, just because this was the first time he would text Jeonghan didn’t mean it had to be perfect. Because, who the hell cares?

 

‘Hrmm,’ Seungcheol hummed, thinking of a genius idea to stop burdening himself with those stupid questions. He opened the album on his phone, looking around his pictures. He knew he had the perfect one to send somewhere.

 

*****

On the bed, sitting against the wall with his knees near his chest, Jeonghan stared at his phone at his side. He already regretted his decision to send the message. He thought it through, it seemed normal to contact his friend, be it the man is an alpha, but maybe it seemed a bit creepy? Seungcheol probably didn’t know he was there at the game, so the message might came off a bit stalker-ish? Or could it be that the man didn’t know what he was referring to in the first place? Should he send another message and pretend he sent it to the wrong person?

 

Biting his thumb nail, Jeonghan looked at the clock, signifying only a few minutes had passed since he sent the message. Maybe he should give Seungcheol a few more minutes. He could be walking and didn’t realize the message…

 

But, what if he was turned off thinking Jeonghan was trying to flirt with him? Most alphas think omegas are trying to sleep with them even with the slightest attention, so maybe Seungcheol thought the same and decided not to reply? Obviously his friend could be by his side, he could just imagine Taeyong speaking ill about him to Seungcheol, the former had not been as pleasant since his rejection, giving him rude messages prompting Jeonghan to block him in all social networks.

 

But then again, this was Seungcheol. Even when Jeonghan was being very straightforward the man couldn’t get the hint. There was no way the dumb guy could think he was being flirtatious. It was not as if he used suggestive emojis either.

 

Wait, did he used emojis? Jeonghan grabbed his phone and looked back at the message, confirming that he indeed, did not send any suggestive message. Noticing the ‘read’ mark, Jeonghan stared at the message he sent.

 

Three words. No hello, not intro, just three mere words, and a punctuation mark.

 

Did he sound cold? Should he have used emojis? Maybe he seemed too formal, Seungcheol didn’t know how to reply? Should he send an emoji right now? Which one should he used? Would it be weird to send another one, five minutes after the message? Then it would seem like he was desperate for a reply, which he was not.

 

Yeah, he was not desperate for a reply. Why should he bother?

 

Jeonghan lightly knocked his head against the wall, closing his eyes, laughing at his pathetic situation. Why was he panicking over something so trivial? It was not as if he had nobody else to talk to, Seungcheol not replying was not a big deal. He could still talk to Joshua, even if his foreign friend was with his girlfriend right now. It should be fine, right? It was not as if people are not allowed to talk to their friends when they are out on dates, Jeonghan swore most couples he saw would spend their time together while checking their phones which meant, Joshua could do that.

 

Good. It had been decided. He should send his omega friend a text.

 

Now, what should he send to the weird guy? A funny, teasing message or a casual ‘watcha doing?’?

 

 _Bzz_! Jeonghan casually flipped the notification upwards before holding it in place, making sure he did not misread the sender. It was from Seungcheol. The alpha sent… a picture?

 

Owh hell no, pictures scares him. Alphas sending him pictures always meant one thing - fucking dick pics or the likes. Just imagining it made Jeonghan threw his phone away shivering in disgust feeling like sanitizing his hand. Sure, he likes sex, but he was really not in the mood. And when not in the mood, even the slightest suggestion of it disgusts him enough to make him sick.

 

…but again, this was Seungcheol. No matter how much he thought about it, he could never imagine the guy sending his dick. Because, again, the guy seemed immune to sexual energy he could make it as a monk.

 

Sighing, Jeonghan decided to take a look at the content. Taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the worse, the omega clicked on the notification.

 

It was, a meme.

 

Left speechless, Jeonghan stared at the over-excited looking Husky, blinking a few times trying to make sense of the situation. Did he just, went through minutes of anxiety only to get this stupid-looking dog staring back at him? And how was this dog supposed to answer his question?

 

What the heck Choi Seungcheol?

 

‘Pfft.’ Shaking his head in surrender, smirking at the sudden need for revenge, Jeonghan started to search on the internet for something to send back. The one so bizarre the damned alpha would be left speechless, like he did. How would he- owh yeah, the class chat group. It was filled with useless memes sent almost daily, filling his phone’s memory.

 

Wait, he should send a GIF instead! That should turn it up a notch.

 

Finding the perfect GIF to send to the alpha, Jeonghan leaned against his wall, feeling proud of himself. He knew he killed it, he just wished he could see how Seungcheol reacted to it. Just as he was about to open his laptop to watch a drama, his phone vibrated, catching his attention.

 

A video?

 

‘What??’ Jeonghan frowned, biting his lips so they wouldn’t open. Because, damn, it was really hard not to laugh at the hamster swinging the bottle left and right over the song ‘Hurricane’. The video repeating itself over and over did not help the situation either. ‘Pfffttt!! Hhahaa!!’ Laughing his heart out, giving up, Jeonghan rolled over his bed and stopped the video, wiping his tears as he finally calmed down.

 

 _I give up._ He replied, adding,

 

_You’re the nerd with the memes_

 

_I’ll take that as a compliment ;) - Coups_

 

Jeonghan stared at the little winky smile at the end of the message. He could imagine the alpha making that kind of face, displaying his dimples. That would be a nice view. Deciding to end their short introductory text session, the omega put his phone on the bed beside him, looking up at the ceiling. He realized he was feeling really good right now, and as weird as it was, the feeling felt new to him. No, more like, it felt as if he found something he had been missing for a long time. Deciding to commemorate the day so he would have something to look back to when he has his bad days, Jeonghan thought of some ways he could do so.

 

Ahh… he just remembered what the alpha screamed when he shot the ball into the hoop.

 

Giggling to himself as he changed the man’s name, Jeonghan realized that Seungcheol actually hadn’t answer his question about the result. The guy most probably lost or he would proudly announce his win, which meant, he could tease the man and see how he react. Owh, this should be fun.

 

_So did you win the basketball match?_

 

_Friendly match, no losers ;D – Coups Yawawoh_

 

Jeonghan laughed a bit at the new name he gave the alpha. Now he seemed more foreign than Joshua. Typing his next attack, Jeonghan laid down on his side, holding the phone close.

 

_Fine, they scored more – Coups Yawawoh_

_It’s a friendly match. We made friends – Coups Yawawoh_

_So everybody wins – Coups Yawawoh_

 

The continuous notifications sent another smile to the omega. Seungcheol was really not admitting defeat, which was amusing. Such a child.

 

_I knew you’re such a loser_

_A sore one too_

_Urgh_

_Let’s not be friends. I don’t know you._

 

Jeonghan waited for the other to send a reply. Surely Seungcheol knew he was just joking around right? He called the man names a few times before, that never stopped him from talking to Jeonghan. Or maybe he just ended their conversation without realizing it?

 

_Bzz!_

 

‘What the hell Choi Seungcheol?’ Jeonghan blurted as the continuous GIF attacks which somehow made perfect sense.

 

He gave up. He could never reply to that.

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I’m sorry for the late update! I’ve been busier than I thought ^^;;
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways we’re seeing more of the problem Jeonghan’s dealing by himself. He’s not the type who expresses himself but there’s a lot of things playing in his mind most of the time. He just learnt to keep it to himself :(
> 
> But Jeonghan’s trying his best to make normal friends despite his problems :D Just look at him missing his only omega friend and getting excited to see his alpha friend play basketball! Isn’t he just cute???
> 
> And Coups trying to move on for good! He still needs to learn to let go but he’s trying XD
> 
>  
> 
> I know there’s not much happening this chapter but I really enjoyed writing this one! Both of them had so many things in mind, but everything was forgotten the moment they started chatting with each other which is very sweet to me :3
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!! Love you readers so much! I’ll try to update the next one soon <3<3


	12. Chapter 12

This felt very awkward for him. Sitting in the barbecue place with two male omegas joking about something he couldn’t really understand, Seungcheol stared at the other customers. They were all close friends from the look of it, unlike his weird trio. Honestly, it was as if he was here to be the omegas’ babysitter instead of as their friend.

 

‘Thanks.’ He finally spoke to the staff who brought them their side dishes and drinks. He could see the other two’s eyes brightened from the volume of the dishes as they started to feast. ‘Gosh I’m hungry.’ The soft-looking omega, Joshua if he was not mistaken, claimed.

 

‘I need a drink.’

 

‘Yah,’ he took the bottle from Jeonghan before the man could pour himself one in the beer glass. The action earned him a whine and a glare to which he ignored. Putting a small shot glass in front of the other, he started to pour. ‘This is how you drink soju. Ap-‘ again, he stopped the omega from taking another one glass, ‘and you never pour for yourself.’

 

‘Such complication.’ Jeonghan stared at him before smiling, taking the bottle to pour a glass and handed it to him. Replying the gesture with his own smile, Seungcheol took a sip before Joshua stopped him. ‘I thought you were supposed to let the oldest drink first?’

 

‘I thought we’re the same age?’ He looked at the omega in confusion. They talked with each other informally, and he swore Jeonghan told him they were born in the same year. ‘I’m actually your seonbae.’

 

‘He is.’ Jeonghan agreed, and he swore both the omegas gave each other a look with little smiles before looking back at him, ‘So, he should drink first? Owh,’ Jeonghan took out his phone and typed in something, reading it out loud, ‘we should drink facing away from him?’

 

Seungcheol bit his tongue, not knowing what to answer. They are the same age so the answer should be obvious but now that it seemed like Joshua wanted to exert his seniority, he felt like he should abide to that, out of politeness. ‘That-‘

 

‘But he’s the youngest.’ Jeonghan added, ‘unless you’re born December 31st… so?’

 

‘Uh….’ Seungcheol looked back at the two omegas back and forth, trying to figure out how to not answer that question.  He would really love for all three of them to ignore that tradition and just drink like friends should. He thought he was here to teach them how to do fun Korean stuff, not the complicated ones.

_Click._ The alpha’s eyes widened as he realized Jeonghan had just taken a picture of him before both the omegas burst into laughter. Speechless at what had just happened to him, he could only scoffed in dissatisfaction. ‘Heol. Yah!’

 

‘You’re kinda naïve for an alpha.’

 

‘You’re kinda mischievous for omegas.’ He retorted, drinking his soju, feeling a bit embarrassed at what just happened.

 

*****

The meat were already cooked to perfection courtesy of Joshua who, surprisingly, was really good at it. At least, after spending the first half an hour reading an instruction on the internet and experimenting. Honestly, the other two didn’t even care about how juicy the meat was – Seungcheol kept eating, Jeonghan drinking.

 

‘I’m just wondering,’ Jeonghan suddenly started, ‘What if you drink in a bar? Or a club? Should you face away from the bartender? And everyone around you? Wait, should you hide your face?’

 

‘I think he’s almost drunk.’ The other omega pointed, softly laughing at his friend who gave him an eye before taking his glass and almost slammed it in front of Seungcheol. He just gave the alpha the signal to pour him another. Ignoring the request, Seungcheol made himself a cute little wrap and filled it with pieces of meat. The moment Jeonghan opened his mouth to whine, he shoved the whole thing into the man’s mouth. ‘Nhh!’

 

Laughing at the reaction, he felt something hit his arms. It was garlic. Without even looking at the other omega, he saw the man trying to do something really stupid. Indeed, Joshua tried to make himself a wrap by putting the lettuce first on his mouth followed by the other stuff slowly, balancing them.

 

Sighing in surrender, the alpha asked, ‘Why are you guys like this?’

 

 

Jeonghan munched on the wrap the alpha fed him, feeling a bit weird but enjoyable at the same time. He swore he bit the man’s finger a bit, which, should feel disgusting but it didn’t. Amidst the commotion caused by his foreign friend, Jeonghan decided to do the same and make a wrap himself. Honestly, it didn’t taste any better than eating the meat and rice, but this felt better. Just putting the meat in the leaf made the whole experience a lot better.

 

‘Ouch!’ Seungcheol hissed as Jeonghan tried to shove the wrap into his mouth as revenge, missing the timing and hitting his teeth instead. Panicking in guilt, with his omega friend not helping by laughing at him, Jeonghan muttered, ‘Why are your teeth so huge??’

 

Ah. That was not what he wanted to say.

 

‘It’s normal size. You’re just drunk.’ Seungcheol calmly responded, causing the crazy omega to shut his mouth and sit down, bowing a bit before silently eating his vegetables. Now that he couldn’t find it in himself to touch the alcohol from the comment, Jeonghan started to feel bored. Really, _really_ bored. ‘I drink cus we’re not talking.’ He stated, staring at the ceiling of the barbecue place, trying to showcase his boredom. Looking around, noticing the few couples around them, and remembering about the two men in front of him with their own relationships, he decided to pursue the topic. ‘Josh, tell us bout your girlfriend. It’ll help if you have a picture.’

 

The question caused the smallest male to simper, shaking his head in embarrassment. Seeing the reaction, the alpha too, leaned in, interested in the answer. With more poking from Jeonghan, Joshua finally brought out his phone to show a photo of his girlfriend, a pretty girl with long, straight hair. ‘She’s a noona. Working.’

 

‘Heol. Daebak.’ Seungcheol scrolled to the pictures without permission, swiping quickly at some he deemed too private. Jeonghan could only stare at the action, glancing at his other friend to note the expression but it seemed, Joshua didn’t care. Well, that could probably be because he had no dangerous pictures in his gallery because Jeonghan would never allow anyone to go through his. ‘Wait, is she? Woah, stewardess?’

 

Owh, just look at Joshua’s proud smile as he nodded his head. And at Seungcheol’s overreacting goofy smile as he fanboy over the photo. So, _so_ awkward.

 

‘Obviously this alpha also like girls.’ Jeonghan suddenly mentioned, enjoying the sudden shyness that overcame the said man, ‘Hey, you guys have something in common!’

 

After a long pause, with Seungcheol continuing to eat and ignoring whatever he just said Jeonghan decided this was a sensitive topic to the man. Which meant, he should make him talk about it because, he just love seeing his stupid face panicking. Also, because he didn’t know what he should talk about with alphas, and opposite genders seemed to be the go-to for most alphas. And men. Which, the three of them were. Of course, sports too, but Joshua and he didn’t have even the slightest interest in it so that was out the door.

 

‘You have a girlfriend right?’ He started, recalling the girl he met a few years ago the first time he met Seungcheol. Honestly, he couldn’t remember a single thing about her except the fact that she had a pretty boyfriend. ‘Spill everything.’

 

‘I dunno… ‘

 

‘Wait, you dunno if you have a girlfriend? So is it uh, complicated…‘ Joshua continued, purposely dragging his words. It seemed he read Jeonghan’s mind and was going along with it. He just realized, despite the fact that the guy is a weird nerd, they really fit each other. Joshua is fun. ‘…modern-day relationship? Okay. No judging.’

 

‘Owh, you mean like the open-type?’ He added, sensing the tense in the alpha’s face.

 

‘Ex. I had a girlfriend.’ Seungcheol cut his teasing, his voice firm almost as if he was trying to calm his anger. It caught both the omegas off-guard, them thinking it was a crush-kind of relationship. Sensing the defensive tone, they decided to remain silent and hope the topic moved away naturally. ‘And no. We were serious, I mean, I was. She wasn’t. Apparently. We just, broke up.’

 

‘Owh…OWH…’ Jeonghan suddenly realized the fact that he met the alpha while the man was trying to get out of his job to go to a group date. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. And, also, since he was sure the man told him he had a girlfriend on orientation night, it could only mean it happened recently. Which meant, it was still fresh. The wound.

 

Fuck. How should he deal with this? Urgh so annoying.

 

‘I mean, there’s a lot of omegas around so…’

 

‘Yeah. I guess.’ Seungcheol reluctantly replied, obviously wanting to move on from the subject. Well, he was trying to. If only both of them would cooperate with trying to find another topic. How he wished Joshua would start rambling about his thesis or what-not right now. Guess there was only one thing left to do then. ‘Yeah, and you’re a good kisser so omegas’ gonna be all-‘

 

‘Bhhk!!’ The sudden shock caused the alpha to cough, and as a result, having to hold in the alcohol in his mouth and throat without throwing it out, while trying to clear his passageway. Laughing at the other’s demise without a single bit of sympathy, Jeonghan turned to the excited omega beside him, wanting to add, ‘Just so you know, we almost fu-mmhh!’ before a hand covered his mouth almost smothering him.

 

‘What bout you? It’s your turn.’ Seungcheol finally asked, once the atmosphere had calmed down a bit. The question made Jeonghan click his tongue, annoyed that people still ask him about it even though he had revealed everything about his life to public. Did they expect him to give a different answer if they asked? That would defeat the purpose of his writing in the first place.

 

Although, to be completely honest, Joshua wouldn’t know since he only read nerd writings. And Seungcheol? Judging from his kind treatment, and also from the stupid question he just asked, Jeonghan thought it was safe to assume the man didn’t read his book either. Biting the inner wall of his lower lip, the long-haired omega decided there was no harm in telling, sugar-coated truth that is. He wouldn’t want to lose his only friends as early as this so…

 

‘I don’t do relationships. Too much work.’ Jeonghan swallowed the remaining liquid in his glass, not daring to look at his friends’ expressions. Joshua nodded his head, but remained silent. He could really tell the man wanted to say something but decided against it, and honestly, he really appreciated that gesture. Pouring himself another glass, this time with no one stopping him, Jeonghan finally looked over at Seungcheol. He bore a very unreadable expression, and that bothered the young omega. He need to do something to fix this.

 

Pretend to be drunk. Yeah. That should work.

 

Intensifying his pheromones, calling out the alphas around, Jeonghan started his act. This would surely be believable because who in their right mind would release their sex pheromones in the middle of a barbecue place? A really drunk guy, that is who. ‘So Coups. We’re both single.’

 

‘Yeah. I guess.’ Seungcheol gave him a sweet smile, trying to ease the tension he created. It still amaze him how unaffected he was with his pheromones right now because he could see other alphas glancing at their table, already noticing. Not this dumb alpha though. ‘Wanna do it?’

 

‘Uhukk!!’ For the second time tonight, Seungcheol almost choke himself to death from alcohol. And for the second time tonight, none of the two omegas care enough to stop laughing and help the poor male. ‘What? You wanna try men right? I think I won’t disappoint-’

 

Okay. So he might have spoken that out a bit louder than he intended because some of the alphas around him were already responding to his sex call. The fact that they did so despite being in a public place made him realize, it was getting late and some of them might actually be pretty drunk so, this could actually cause some trouble.

 

But, somehow Jeonghan found this situation interesting. He would really love to see how Seungcheol react to it. Will he get into a fight with the others? Will he just leave like a coward? Or maybe he would finally respond to his pheromones so he could finally have a taste of that sweet muscular body of his?

 

Intensifying his pheromones more, ignoring Joshua’s call to calm down, Jeonghan leaned a bit too close to the alpha, whispering, ‘I can handle roug-‘

 

‘Okay, we had enough. Ahjumma!’ Almost screaming, standing to get away, Seungcheol made his way to the register. Chuckling softly in annoyance, cracking his neck, Jeonghan dropped his head. He couldn’t believe he just made a fool of himself once again. It was too late now. He just said something really stupid so he had to keep acting until the end.

 

Which was harder than it look because, drunk him usually end up in someone else’s bed and apparently that wouldn’t happen. Drunk him would try to start a fight with a few disgusting alphas and obviously, he couldn’t do that in front of the other two.

 

Sensing movement from his left, Joshua packing all their stuff to prepare to leave, Jeonghan rested his head on his hands. His eyes caught a group of alphas staring at him, preparing to make a move. Rolling his eyes as he saw one of them stand up, still locking gaze, he heard Joshua soft announced, ‘I’ll get a taxi.’

 

‘Jeonghan, come on.’ He nodded at the alpha’s voice, now returning after he settled the bill. To his irritation, now the female alpha who was walking stopped right beside them. She had her scent intensified as a reply to his prior call, and it seemed she was ready to make a move.

 

…Wait, he just sensed Seungcheol’s strong pheromones joining the other. Jeonghan almost jumped back as the man suddenly appeared, blocking his view of the lady. Offering a smile, holding out his hand which Jeonghan took in confusion, he urged before turning his head to give the stranger a quick look, ‘Come on.’

 

‘Sure.’

 

 

‘So you guys a thing now?’ Joshua questioned as soon as he saw the other two. Realizing the implication of his impromptu action, Seungcheol was quick to pull his hand away but Jeonghan refused to let go, grasping tightly. ‘It’s mine now.’

 

‘You’re drunk.’ The oldest of the three accused to which Jeonghan could only grin, ‘Yes I am.’

 

Lowering his face slightly as the air hit, Jeonghan stared at their intertwining hands. The grip was firm, nothing less than what he would expect from an alpha. From Seungcheol nonetheless. And, the other’s hand felt warm, not the one that would made his own sweat, just enough to feel… like…

 

Safety.

 

Like a sense of belonging.

 

Like…

 

Home.

 

‘Jeonghan? Are you okay?’

 

‘Huh?’ The call of his name brought the omega back to reality which was next to a street. Recognizing the place, Jeonghan looked around only to find his other friend missing. ‘Where’s Joshua?’

 

‘He went home.’ Jeonghan frowned at the thought that his only omega friend leaving him alone with the alpha without a word. Of course they were already friends, but he thought Joshua would be thoughtful enough to look after him as an omega, like the people in the shelter would with each other. Probably noticing his confused expression, Seungcheol informed, ‘He live outside so I told him to go back first.’ A pause. ‘And, I’ll walk you back. Okay?’

 

‘Okay.’ He replied, not comfortable with the tone the alpha used with him. It was polite, it was careful, almost as if he was talking to a child who could break down into tears with any wrong word.  He was not used to this, not with alphas. This was really confusing. He wanted to trust, no, he knew he could trust Seungcheol but something told him he shouldn’t. It was not as if he couldn’t do anything to the man if he tried anything, nor would he be in trouble if Seungcheol actually wanted to fuck him, but he really wanted to believe what he just said. That he would walk Jeonghan back to his room tonight. And nothing else.

 

Why was this bothering him so much?

 

‘You okay?’

 

Again, the low voice broke his train of thoughts. Realizing the cold trail on his cheek, Jeonghan brought up his hand to wipe it, feeling the weight as he pulled the alpha’s hand together. Quickly changing to his right hand, inwardly cursing at himself for failing to wipe the tears discreetly, he lied, ‘Something’s in my eyes.’

 

‘Really?’ The other stopped, bringing his face close and staring into the omega’s eyes, causing the latter to back his head away slightly. Before he could say anything though, Seungcheol placed his palms on Jeonghan’s cheeks, bringing his thumb to pull slightly on the under-eyes. ‘What’re you doing?’

 

‘There’s nothing. Want me to blow?’

 

‘What?!’ Jeonghan grabbed the hands on his face, pulling it away to stare deeply into the other’s eyes. He couldn’t believe he thoug-

 

That the guy was-

 

What the fu-

 

‘My mom used to blow into my eyes when it hurts. Like,’ Seungcheol blew forcefully and swiftly, trying to explain what he was planning to do. ‘Apparently it can blow the dust away. Wanna try?’

 

‘Owh.’ The teary male loosened his grips and nodded, agreeing to the weird suggestion. Usually in the cases where rubbing didn’t relief the discomfort, his caretakers would give him some eye drops. Nobody ever suggested blowing into his eyes. Not that, he actually needed it in the first place. His eyes didn’t actually hurt. Looking up as the alpha pulled his right under eye, he closed them at the first contact of air and repeated for the left. ‘Your breath stinks.’

 

‘As if yours doesn’t.’ Seungcheol quickly replied to which Jeonghan scoffed. ‘Let’s go, it’s late.’ He walked first, slowly before the omega joined him. After a few minutes of silence, he finally realized something, ‘Yah! You didn’t think I’d suggest anything perverted right?’

 

‘No.’ Jeonghan pretended a disbelieved laugh, desperately wanting to run away and hide right now. Of course he thought the man was perverted! He asked if he could blow him!

 

‘Cus I know you think I’m really hot and all but you need to calm down.’

 

‘Actually I’m sober now so you don’t look _that_ attractive.’ Jeonghan sarcastically replied, slightly glancing at the alpha to notice the deep dimple sweetly placed on his cheek.

 

Seungcheol really is a weird alpha.

 

*****

Laying on the bed after he finished drying his hair, Seungcheol took out his phone and tapped on the notification. Jeonghan sent him a picture. It was him looking to his right, face confused. It was that moment when both the omegas bullying him about the drinking manners. Those jokesters.

 

Sending a goodnight message to the other, Seungcheol turned to lay on his back, reminiscing about the night.

 

To be honest, he thought he was going to lose it back at the barbecue place. He used to wonder how someone like Jeonghan could be said to be so attractive people were begging to sleep with him but, experiencing what he did, he kind of understood.

 

Drunk Jeonghan was pretty dangerous.

 

Although, what happened afterwards confused him a lot. After all that flirting, he acted like a naïve child who’s afraid of the ‘bad guys’. That look of distrust, as if he couldn’t trust Seungcheol actually worried him. Honestly, he almost wanted to call Joshua back to help send the man to his dorm instead.

 

He wondered whether people know about this side of Jeonghan because all everybody ever talked about was how he sleeps around and play with alphas. They should know, since the omega supposedly told everything about himself in his book and yet, nobody cared about this? Granted, gossiping about his night-life would be more entertaining than talking about his trauma but…

 

On the other hand, did Jeonghan actually ever sleep with those alphas? Because that frightened look he bore when he misunderstood his situation back then suggested that he would freak out and run away the moment things would be getting serious.

 

But then again, he DID, sleep with Taeyong so…

 

Seungcheol sighed.

 

Shaking his head and switching the light off, the young male turned his body to his left side, trying to find the most comfortable position to rest his body for the day.

 

Yoon Jeonghan really confuses him.

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter’s really about them drinking right? Not much happening either but we get to see Jihan bullying Coups like the mischievous twins they are >:D
> 
> Also, Jeonghan’s starting to shed down his defense without him realizing! But he spent all his life thinking he knew how alphas act and think so Coups acting unpredictably confused him :( And, finally, Coups didn’t care about Woo Ri this chapter!! He actually fell asleep thinking about our Hannie!!! Ohohohooo I’m excited for the next one!! I’ll make it good *whispers*beforetheangst*whispers*
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, I’m sorry for the late reply as always, but I’ll make sure to reply to each and every one of your comments!! Just know that you thoughts about the fic matters to me and keeps me motivated to write the next one! Each and every one of you readers and silent readers means a lot to me!!! Love you guys so much!!! <3<3
> 
> Hwaiting!!!!


	13. Chapter 13

Sipping his bottled milk, Jeonghan leaned against his chair, pressing the space button to start the video he received from the lecturer, a reenactment of a classic Korean theater by the performance art students. He knew there was supposed to be something really deep he should analyze here, something symbolic, but he was already halfway through and yet nothing meaningful came to mind. Honestly, if he had a choice, he would not be caught watching this 3-hour video with some traditional songs sounding as if they had nothing better to do other than screaming, monotonously but, he didn’t and so, he would have to interpret the play and write a review of it. Of course he could always just look for someone else’s work and copy it to get the minimum passing mark but if he had to torture himself and watch this thing anyway, he would rather ace it.

Yawning, stretching his body as he tried to keep himself awake, Jeonghan looked at the clock. He was already at his limit. Right now he couldn’t process anything. Old Korean language was already confusing as it is, his lack of focus just turned his ears into a shield and prevented all the information from reaching his brain.

Guess he needed to take a rest.

Jeonghan turned his head to look around for something to do besides staring at the computer screen. Everyone was in their own world minding their own business. No sound could be heard except for a few whispers the moment he took his earphones off. He wouldn’t expect anything less from being in a library, but this also meant his only choice of distraction was either sleeping or reading books, and he couldn’t do the latter because he brain was already overloaded. And he wouldn’t want to sleep here either.

Taking out his phone to check for any new messages from his friends, he turned it off again when he realized there was none. Obviously because one was at home with his girl and the other one was working so…

Owh, Seungcheol was working at the café today.

*****  


Seungcheol tied his apron as he made his way to the front, telling his senior he was ready. The dishes were finally done, the ingredients stocked and all the preparation for tomorrow done. He was now ready to take over the front until the end of the shift. It was a weekday so by dawn, there would usually be only a few customers, one staff could handle the café alone. And today, that would be him.

Passing the latte to the two ladies, Seungcheol heard the bell rang, noting the customers leaving. As usual, he took the cloth and walked to the table they occupied, cleaning it for the next customer.

‘Jeonghan?’ He called softly, finally noticing his friend sitting on one of the sofas, his brows furrowed deeply as he stared at the screen. With no reaction from the omega, and him realizing the man had his earphones on, and a notebook with him suggesting he was working on something, Seungcheol decided to leave the man be.

Returning to his spot, the young alpha couldn’t help but smile at how focused his friend was. It was almost as if, the man was a really good student. And today was a Thursday too, if he was not mistaken, the day he first saw Jeonghan coming back from the club. The fact that the man was here instead of the club… did that mean he actually changed his lifestyle?

Pretending to be busy as he noticed the omega glancing at him, trying his best to ignore the pretty man’s presence, Seungcheol started to rearrange all the stocks before returning them to the initial places. He would usually just sit at the cash register playing with his phone on days like these but he wouldn’t want his friend to think he was slacking off would he?

Just as he was about to go to the back and whip some cream he wouldn’t need just because, he heard the door signifying incoming customers. A group of very well-dressed men came, Seungcheol could tell they were from the modelling agency nearby or something similar. Secretly thankful for the work they brought with them which meant he wouldn’t have to sit idly, he started taking their orders as usual and make them.

‘Owh look at that, the very beautiful Yoon Jeonghan.’ One of them started talking loudly, the others joining him while some chuckled softly, enjoying the situation that was about to happen. ‘Haven’t seen you in a while. We kind miss you and your lovely scent gracing us.’

Seungcheol found himself getting really tensed at the teasing. He was really curious about their relationship with his omega friend, but hearing that Jeonghan completely ignored them, he reckoned they were not close. Although, it might also be possible the man didn’t hear them either due to the earphones stuffed in both his ears. But curious as he might, this was not the time to start prying. He was, a staff, and Jeonghan and the pack of alphas, customers. It was not his place to say anything nor do anything stupid. Because, obviously, there might also be a possibility that Jeonghan actually knew these fucke- customers.

‘Yah,’ the alpha, obviously the main alpha, called him. Smirking arrogantly, he pointed towards Jeonghan, ‘Send your best coffee to that pretty omega for me, will ya?'

Sighing inwardly, forcing a smile as he stated the total and received the money, Seungcheol rolled his eyes the moment he turned his back. He really didn’t want to do this, delivering drinks to customers like this, because one, this place is self-service which meant they should take their own drinks at the counter and two, this place is not a fucking bar they can send drinks to random people. This is a damned café where people come to relax!

After a moment of dilemma in which he realized he had no choice as he was still working, Seungcheol decided to do as he was asked and hoped that the action would not offend Jeonghan because he would be, if he were to receive something from that particularly smug alpha.

‘That customer bought it for you.’ He added, and just in case, waited for a few seconds before returning to his post. The look on Jeonghan’s face told him what he needed to know – he was offended. And after an annoyed stare at the group to which that one alpha smirked at him, the omega gave Seungcheol a hard look, ‘Tell him thanks but I’m allergic to caffeine.’

After the initial shock of knowing his friend was allergic to such thing, and realizing that the omega was lying through his teeth, Seungcheol sighed softly. Why did he had to be caught in this crossfire? Everyone could hear what Jeonghan just said, he wouldn’t have to reply on the man’s behalf but based on the situation, he had to. And he really didn’t want to. This could turn ugly. Should he just be stern and warn them to behave? Would that affect the café’s image?

Making his mind and reluctantly dragging his feet towards the troublesome group, Seungcheol noted the unamused look the leader bore as he stared right at his friend. He didn’t have a good feeling about it. Should he do something? He knew Jeonghan told him he could handle his own ‘shit’ as he was warned one too many times before, and he never doubt the omega could but he felt like he really should ask the group of alphas to leave before they do something everyone would regret.

Urgh, he really hate this darned customer. Why the hell did he had to cause all this commotion to feed his ego right now, when Seungcheol was working alone, out of all the other time he could do so??

‘Yah, you know what? Just get him an iced cocoa and tell him I’ll buy him something stronger next time we meet.’ The man announced as he handed him a ₩50,000 note. He knew the alpha meant buying him alcohol, and he knew what the man was suggesting they do at the ‘next meeting’ which he really didn’t like. Not in his café. Not to his friend.

Thankfully, before he could torture himself contemplating whether to comply and make Jeonghan feel uncomfortable or reject the request and make a scene with the group, they left the premise although not without some more suggestive verbal attacks directed to his friend.

Glancing slightly towards the omega to see his jaws clenched, Seungcheol decided to leave the man alone with his thoughts and clean up where the group sat. With no other customers in sight, only the two of them left, he headed to behind the counter to make something for Jeonghan to ease the tension. Noting the man hiding his face as he leaned against the sofa, probably tired and upset from whatever just happened, Seungcheol called out to him.

‘Here,’ he passed Jeonghan an iced Americano to which he received a really cold, deadly stare. Which, to be fair, he deserved. ‘Not sure if you'd like it but this is my go-to drink. Just saying.’

Although seemingly reluctant, the man took the beverage from the table, quietly taking a sip. ‘You trying to kill me? I’m allergic.’ he stated calmly, his eyes not amused. Seungcheol could only smile. ‘You’d be dead drinking your first latte if you’re really allergic. Also, this is clearly an Americano so, you just killed yourself.’

‘Smarty-pants.’ Jeonghan called as he finally let himself laugh. Seeing that pretty smile really made the alpha felt as if something had been lifted off his shoulder. Satisfied with his success, he turned his back to return to his job. ‘I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Thanks to you.’

‘Good. You still need to finish that, right?’ Seungcheol pointed at the laptop on the table as an answer, shaking his head as he was called a nerd. He would love to stay and chat with the delightful omega but since he was alone to tend the café today and a few customers just entered, he had to work. Although, on some days when there would be no customers at the end of his shift, Seungcheol would start to scare himself by thinking about the supernatural so, he really hoped the omega stayed with him to keep him company today.

Seeing the omega finally back to watching his video and taking notes, Seungcheol grinned to himself. It seemed, Jeonghan would not be leaving anytime soon.

Lucky him.

*****  


‘We close in half an hour. Wanna go back together?’ Jeonghan took off his earphones and looked back at the alpha, asking him for a repeat. Noticing the time, he considered the invitation.

Usually he wouldn’t mind going back alone but he was just harassed publicly by the damned alpha, who knows if the bastard would wait for him outside? Seungri had been obsessed with him even back when he was sleeping with Sehun, his rival and the only difference now was, there was basically no one to stop him from doing whatever he wanted. And in all honesty, Jeonghan himself hadn’t been going to the club for a few weeks so he was actually sex-deprived and losing sleep. So if the guy were to stop him on the street and try to submit him into sex with his scent, Jeonghan would probably be gullible enough to comply.

Of course, since the incident happened a few hours ago, it might not likely happen the way he imagined but he couldn’t help it. He was being paranoid, he knew that very well. It is one of his diagnosed condition. All the stress from his lack of sleep probably triggered it. Though not severe so he could fight the feeling by pretending and convincing himself not to care, it would be enough to cause another nightmare tonight. And that, he would not want. So, he would accept the offer. Not, because he was weak. And scared. ‘Okay.’

‘Okay. So we’ll go after I clean and change okay?’

Standing on the step, looking around the dark road, Jeonghan turned his head towards the alpha who was making his way out of the café after switching off all the lights and bringing all the banners inside. Thinking of some plan to make him fluster as a revenge for bringing him the bastard’s drink a few hours earlier, Jeonghan quickly grabbed the other’s hand, catching him off-guard, and to the omega’s delight, flushed his white cheeks. ‘Just in case they’re still here, you should pretend to be my alpha.’

‘…okay? But, I d-don’t think they are…’ Seungcheol almost stuttered as he replied, bringing his other free hand to reach into his bag. ‘Just let me lock the shop first?’

Abiding to the request, Jeonghan quickly let go of the grip, smiling softly to himself. That answer somehow made his earlier concern disappeared, just, gone. It was weird, how Seungcheol always made him feel something new with his simple words and actions, just like right now.

How did he do it? How did Seungcheol make him feel reassured by his stuttered ‘okay’? After what happened today, how was he still able to feel good, and safe?

How?

‘So, you done with your assignment?’ Seungcheol took his hand in his and started walking, breaking Jeonghan from his train of thoughts. Replying to the question as honestly as he could, whining about the class and hearing the alpha laughed as he sent his condolences, Jeonghan realized something - he was ending his day like any normal student would; satisfied after a long day of work, and hanging out with a… friend?

‘Jeonghan, wanna stop by to eat?’ Seungcheol suddenly asked, stopping his track before they reached the bus stop heading towards campus. There was a fish cake stall nearby, the alpha was pointing towards it. Bringing his free hand inside his pocket, he pulled out a ₩50,000 note, ‘Got this from the asshole.’

‘Heol,’ Jeonghan squinted his eyes at the piece of paper, ‘You’re buying me dinner with the money you pimped me for?’

‘Yah!’ the alpha almost screamed at the bizarre accusation, his eyes wide as he looked around trying find something to say. After a few sighs and staring at Jeonghan, the former finally insisted, ‘I did not! Besides, remember you screaming at me to mind my own business when I tried to do something before?’

‘Scream? When?’ Jeonghan scoffed, pulling his hand back towards himself. To his annoyance, Seungcheol started to list down the very few time he actually did and to make things worse, Jeonghan actually remembered doing it. Forcing a smile, imagining he could punch the stupid guy in that noisy mouth of his, the younger of the two dragged the other towards the stall, hoping it would shut his mouth up. ‘Urgh, you’re such a weak alpha. Fine! As long as you pay.’

‘Okay.’

‘With the pimp money.’ He added.

‘Yah!!’

*****  


‘You ever got in a fight?’ Jeonghan asked as they made their way back to their dormitories from the bus stop. Seungcheol insisted on sending him back, probably from his usual guilt, and still not feeling like ending the night, he agreed to be accompanied back. Having Seungcheol around didn’t feel as stuffy as he thought it would be having somebody close by every second. In fact, having someone who would listen to his complaints and miseries, and being laughed at made those things feel insignificant and forgettable. He felt great, despite the shitty day he had.

He was experiencing something he, a really fucked up omega, thought he could never be able to experience. Maybe, this was why his therapist insisted on him finding a friend. He understood her intention now. He felt the best he ever had since, forever.

‘A few times.’ His friend reluctantly answered, suggesting he didn’t want to pursue the conversation. But that only made Jeonghan even curious.

‘Ah, so those muscles are not just for decorations.’ Jeonghan commented which earned him a light headlock from the alpha. Whining from the action which caught him off-guard, the smaller of the two apologized and begged to be let go. ‘I bet you hurt them real bad.’

‘I could. I guess. Maybe.’ Seungcheol shrugged, confusing the omega. With a muscular body like that, Jeonghan would have thought his confidence would be as high. He thought the man would get into fights just to boost his ego like every other alphas would, but apparently, that was not the case? Even play fights would be enough for him to know his own ability and yet, why the doubt?

‘So you never won any fights? Gosh, what kind of people do you mess with?’ he asked, now a bit scared for the man, and himself for hanging around him. He imagined a big bodybuilder or a trained law enforcement officer to be Seungcheol’s opponent hence the lost, which meant the guy was either stupid, or was involved in some dangerous business.

With no reply, Jeonghan stared at the alpha, long enough the other finally gave up his right of silence. ‘What? You don’t have to beat someone to win, right?’

Jeonghan kept his stare, making the alpha uncomfortable enough he finally broke. ‘I’m just good at controlling my scent. They think I’m stronger than I actually am and back off.’

‘Owh really?’ he sarcastically asked, not convinced because, how the heck do someone train their pheromone? It was not as if they could know how intense it is compared to other’s since they couldn’t detect their own. The only thing they know is how much they exert based on the force they feel when they pay enough attention to control it. Hence why Jeonghan still find it hard to give off just enough scent to get that one alpha without attracting others as well. Which, was the reason he was stuck in a few stupid rivalry fights all these times.

‘Actually, I’m good at controlling my face to not look like I’m gonna fart at my limit.’

‘Pfft, what??!’ Jeonghan finally understood what the man was implying, laughing so hard as he became aware of the kind of face people actually make when they tried to strengthen their pheromones more than they could. It actually did look like they were trying to hold their farts! Bending forward as his stomach clamped so much from laughter, Jeonghan challenged the alpha to demonstrate, just to amuse him.

A few moments of thinking, and a look of realization, Seungcheol rejected. ‘No… I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ a rejection which, of course, Jeonghan refused to accept. A few more persuasive words, and a promise for it to be done near the omega’s dormitory, the alpha finally agreed.

‘You asked for it.’

‘Yeah, yeah. Come on.’ Jeonghan stared at the manly guy with the pretty face, trying to find any sign of him struggling to amplify his pheromones so he could prove the man wrong. So far so good. A few seconds into the whole show, Jeonghan suddenly felt his heart beat furiously as hairs started to stand, leaving his body cold. Startled from the change and yet, refusing to admit what he was feeling, he teased the alpha to increase his scent even more.

‘Fuck.’ Jeonghan started to shake, clenching his hands in fists, gasping for air. He forgot the effect of alphas’ pheromones had towards omegas, even if it was not intended to threaten them or keep them in check like Seungcheol just did. No wonder the guy was adamant about only doing it when they were near his room because right now, he really felt like he wanted to run inside and hide. ‘You okay?’

Nodding his head one too many times, Jeonghan took the hand that was offered, feeling a bit relieved that the alpha quickly soften his scent it almost disappeared. Laughing in embarrassment, his eyes widened once again as he felt Seungcheol’s strong pheromones enveloping them once again. He turned to face the other who had the same look on his face. ‘Yah.’

‘Yah! Stop it!’ Seungcheol scolded him. It took him a few moment to realize what was happening. He was turned on from what just happened and replied to the alpha’s scent his body mistook as a mating call. Or so he wished. The fact was, he couldn’t control it; it was almost as if he was in heat. And now, in turn, Seungcheol’s was replying to his call.

Both of them were turned on right now. And they were stuck in a loop.

Laughing at the absurd situation, to the fact that his body reacted to ‘threats’ with a sexual one, Jeonghan turned his face away as he felt his eyes started to shake. This was just, unacceptable. Utterly humiliating. In front of Seungcheol… What would he thi-

‘Shit. Let’s think of something really disgusting.’ Seungcheol’s panicked voice called, ‘Old cheese with maggots!’

‘What are you doing?’ Jeonghan finally asked after a few random, disgusting images started to fill his mind. He really couldn’t comprehend what the alpha was trying to do except repulse him-

_Owh_ …

That might actually work. Although, given the situation that brought them here in the first place, Jeonghan figured it was better to do the opposite, ‘What bout puppies?’

‘Puppies disgusts you?’ Seungcheol asked, his face that of accusation. Frowning, shaking his head at the stupid thought, Jeonghan added, ‘Happy, innocent things works for me.’

‘Good. So, you think about that and run inside. I’ll think of poops and run back. Kay, go!’ In a flash, the alpha started to dash towards the park, leaving Jeonghan to stare at his back in confusion.

Standing still at his spot, no longer feel the overwhelming feeling he had in the alpha’s presence, and now finally able to gain control of himself, Jeonghan chuckled softly at what had just happen.

Choi Seungcheol just ran away from him, even in his 'heat'.

Shaking his head as he made his way inside the safety of his room, Jeonghan brought up his phone as he heard a ring. It was from Seungcheol.

_That was awkward. Let’s pretend that never happened. – Coups Yawawoh_

_Haha. – Coups Yawawoh_

_Ha – Coups Yawawoh_

_Sorry – Coups Yawawoh_

_Night. – Coups Yawawoh_

_Dream of puppies – Coups Yawawoh_

Jeonghan stared his phone, baffled to the fact that the man managed to find the time to create a weird meme. Of what just happened just now. Complete with a picture of a turd and a puppy side-by-side.

Seriously, he just couldn't win with this alpha. 'Pabo.’

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They turned each other on ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> What a horny omega and alpha ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
>  
> 
> Finally Coup’s starting to get comfortable with Hannie and vice versa! I mean, isn’t it cute that Coups grabbed Hannie’s hand once he finished locking the door like it was the most natural thing to do? HOHOHOHOO!
> 
> But it kinda sucks that their day almost ended bad for Jeonghan right? His PTSD acted against his will again T__T
> 
>  
> 
> BTW, I kinda feel bad about using Seungri’s name due to what happened IRL but I really couldn’t think of any other person to hate and his name just popped up -.-;; If any of you feel offended by it, just let me know and I’ll change it to some random name.
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, as always, thank you for reading and leaving me wonderful comments you lovely readers!!!  
> We’re at 100++ kudos already!!! Omg love you guys so much!!! <3<3
> 
> P/S I’m going to ‘An Ode’ tour next week and I can’t wait!!! I already bought my Carat Bong! I’m so ready for my boys!!! KYAAAHHH!!!


	14. Chapter 14

‘Wanna try shooting?’ Seungcheol asked as he bounced the basketball on the ground, urging Jeonghan to play with him. They were alone in the middle of the hot day when everybody else would rather stay indoors. Looking at the sweaty pale man and the empty court, the young omega considered his invitation. He never liked such sports, preferring track and field where he could feel the air in his face instead of pushing and colliding with each other for balls. But, he was here anyway, and the alpha was really eager, so maybe this could be fun. Putting his notebook down, Jeonghan took the ball from the Seungcheol, enjoying his scent as they passed each other.

 

God, he smelled so mesmerizing.

 

‘Nope!’ Seungcheol laughed at his pathetic attempt to throw the ball into the hoop, and another one. Each time envisioning how satisfied he would feel when he finally scored one, Jeonghan tried so hard to ignore the excited guy. Well, he tried to, but it got to a point where it became frustrating as the ball kept hitting everywhere but the net, and Seungcheol did nothing but went to fetch it for him. And laugh. And clap.

 

Where was the touching? Where was the blocking or whatnot that he usually saw in the movies? That was the only reason why he was here in the first place – the skinship. Of course, getting to see the man in sleeveless sweating like crazy was damn sexy but that was just a bonus. He needed the touch. Why wasn’t Seungcheol trying to grab the ball from him even when he asked the man to demonstrate? Because he was ready to fight for it and do that thing they always do in the videos.

 

Seriously, this alpha couldn’t be more oblivious.

 

‘I give up.’ Jeonghan whined as he made his way back to his seat on the ground. Behind him, Seungcheol only laughed his dumb laugh, not reading the atmosphere. Lying down on the ground, using his notebook to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight, he noticed the other’s scent near him. And it stopped. The man took his own spot beside Jeonghan and laid down as well, doing the same action with his hand. ‘I still don’t get it.’

 

‘Maybe if you can shoot one, then you would.’

 

‘Maybe if you stop laughing and teach me, I would know how.’ He retorted back, venting his irritation. He just need to spell everything out with this guy. It kind of hurt his ego. And damn he smell good. Why the heck did he get so worked up for? He was just jumping around and throwing the stupid ball anyways.

 

‘I did! Didn’t you hear me at all?’ Jeonghan rolled his eyes and turn to his side before getting up. He was obviously not going to get what he wanted from this guy, not anytime soon. And owh, he was getting desperate. Heck, he would settle for a mere touch. No, even the thought of the alpha’s touch was enough to turn him on. And ever since that night a few days ago, his dominating scent was all he could think about before he went to sleep.

 

Imagining how he would wanted to drown himself in it, letting himself lose and forget everything…

 

Jeonghan swallowed as he realized he was digging his own grave right now. Seungcheol was right beside him, still excited from his exercise, his seductive pheromones very clear, tempting him. And he could only think about getting on top of him and fucking the man senseless.

 

‘See ya.’ He excused himself, surprising the alpha still on the ground, ready for another round. Looking at his watch, Jeonghan closed his eyes as he sprinted to his room, trying to think of something disgusting to calm himself down.

 

A few more hours to go and he would get his release. Just a few more hours.

 

*****

Finally.

 

Jeonghan took one last look at the mirror, ensuring his eyeliners were not smudged. The last few weeks had been really sexually torturous with the dumb alpha tempting him almost every single day without even the slightest hint of wanting to take responsibility. Finally having no plans and getting to go to the club tonight, he wouldn’t want a stupid looking make up to ruin his chance with any potential amazing hook up.

 

Looking at his watch, the young omega took a few cash from his wallet, enough to pay for the taxi fare and hotel, his usual pepper spray which he hid in his leather jacket, his student ID and his phone, the only things he need for tonight.

 

Tonight, he was going to fuck someone. Real good.

 

He was going to get his weeks’ worth of sex.

 

*****

The ring from his phone woke Seungcheol up. Realizing he fell asleep on his desk while doing his homework, he got up and dragged his legs. Feeling the edge of the soft bed on his shin, the tired student let himself fall down face first, enjoying the smell of the mattress lullabying him to sleep.

 

He had burnt all his energy playing in the middle of the afternoon, in the scorching heat today. He had none left for studying right now.

 

Patting the bed for his phone, Seungcheol opened the new message he received just now. Closing his eyes shut, smiling at the message which made his night felt complete, he put the phone down.

 

Wait, he needed to read it again, just because.

_Goodnight to you too ;) - Jeonghan_

 

*****

‘Hey Joshua!’ Seungcheol waved at the omega waiting at the park for him. The man waved back, but the alpha kept looking around for the other omega. It was already four o’clock, Jeonghan should be done with his last class as well. Though, it shouldn’t matter since he would be joining them soon anyway, Seungcheol couldn’t help but feel a little awkward with just the two of them here. Because, he never spent time alone with Joshua. And he didn’t know how or what to talk to him about.

 

‘So you guys decided where to go yet?’ He tried to start the conversation, not wanting to sit in silence and show his slight discomfort. Opening the note he wrote on his phone on the omegas’ ‘Korean stuff bucket list’ which Jeonghan forced him to join, he looked over to Joshua’s print-outs. It seemed, their next stop would be the hot spring, which honestly, he wouldn’t recommend considering the hot weather.

 

‘We’re not going here.’ He commented as he flipped through some of the long list of hot springs Joshua compiled which was actually rather amusing because, they were all over Korea. And Joshua got the natural hot springs and mere bathhouses mixed up.

 

‘But this is one of the best ones.’ The gentle guy replied, showing him another list he printed of the top hot springs to visit in Seoul, which, again, were incorrect. Confirming their actual intention, and explaining the difference to the foreigner, Seungcheol then proceeded to tell him why he wouldn’t recommend the ones in his list – one, they are the more luxurious ones, not the kinds students like them would be able to afford just to take a bath and two, they wouldn’t be able to really experience what ‘Korean commoner’ would at such facilities as they would probably be filled with foreigners and rich aristocrats. ‘We’ll just go to the one nearby. There’s actually-’

 

‘I don’t wanna get naked with people from our college. No way. Urgh.’ Both the males turned their heads at Jeonghan’s voice, caught off-guard by the sudden appearance. Seungcheol felt his heart skipped a bit, grinning at the omega as he took his seat beside the other male.

 

Wait, something was off. He could smell an alpha nearby. Sudden wariness took over and the oldest of the three scanned their surrounding briefly, just to make sure where the stranger was.  There were a few alphas, but none of them were close enough to give such vivid scent… which meant…

 

…Jeonghan.

 

The scent was on Jeonghan.  

 

‘We’re from your college.’ The soft voice followed by Jeonghan’s familiar laugh interrupted his thought. Seungcheol forced himself to do the same, trying to shake off his unreasonable discouragement. However, no matter how he tried to, the lingering smell of this unfamiliar alpha made him feel uncomfortable being here. He couldn’t focus on anything the other two was talking at all. He couldn’t hear anything.

 

‘Why?’

 

‘Huh?’ Seungcheol looked back at the omegas, noting the expression. They were expecting him to answer something, he was not sure of the question. Maybe they were talking about why he was not paying attention?

 

‘Why not here?’ Jeonghan pointed at the piece of paper, laying his head down on the table trying to peek at Seungcheol’s face. The latter shook his head a few times, trying to get himself to snap out of the distraction. He took the paper and held it in front of him, covering the omega’s face. ‘It’s uh, not cheap and uhh, I don’t think normal folks go there.’ He put the document back down and stared at both the omegas, ‘You won’t be able to eat your eggs and stuff.’

 

Hearing the other two whined in understanding, Seungcheol turned his head away. There were some marks on Jeonghan which were visible momentarily as his shirt moved around while he shifted his position. He could guess the man was conscious about it because he would fix it once in a while to make sure his shirt stayed put. He was not sure why though.

 

He thought Jeonghan was not seeing anyone. No, he was sure the guy wasn’t because just a few weeks prior, he clearly told them he was single. Did he found someone? Jeonghan would told him right? Okay, maybe not, but he would at least told Joshua right? And seeing that the other omega was not saying anything about the scent meant that he knew, maybe. But… they would include him as well, right? Since they already talked about their love lives to each other, it would not be too much to think so, right?

 

 ‘-right? Hey,’ again, the other two were demanding his attention. Seungcheol closed his eyes a few times, hoping he could pretend to be sleepy, just so he could find an excuse if they were to ask what was wrong with him. ‘You can drive right?’

 

‘Yeah.’

 

‘Okay, so we’re gonn-‘

 

He should ask. It would not be awkward. Jeonghan did the same thing the night they went drinking and just went for it. And since the two omegas practically do anything they want with him without even the slightest bit of humility, he was allowed to do the same right?

 

Yes, he should definitely ask about the alpha.

 

‘So you’re… you found someone?’

 

‘Hrmm?’ Jeonghan stopped writing something on the paper and shifted his attention towards Seungcheol. The alpha just realized they were in a middle of a serious discussion. Well, as serious as a trip to the bathhouse can get, that is. But still, his sudden question caught the two by surprise. Joshua looked over as well, but in confusion, turned towards his other friend, and again, back to Seungcheol.

 

‘You’re dating someone. Right?’ He repeated, not finding a way out of the situation.

 

‘What?’ The younger male laughed, as if he just asked something really bizarre, ‘You’re kidding right?’

 

‘Well,’ Seungcheol faced both his palms up towards the sky, gesturing them towards the omega. He really didn’t want to have to point the obvious. Unfortunately for him, Jeonghan did not look like he was in the mood for explaining as he distorted his face in disgust. ‘With that pathetic alpha? Hah.’

 

And as if the question was never asked in the first place, Jeonghan got back to their discussion, leaving the alpha silent, caught in his own thought. Seungcheol forced another smile, trying to hide his shock. The look on Joshua’s face implied that he indeed, knew about the alpha on Jeonghan but didn’t care about what had just been told, which was a bit bothering actually. A few more minutes of trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach, the curiousity eating his brain out, the slight anger he was trying to hide, Seungcheol got up from his seat. He didn’t think he could stay. ‘I just remembered something I need to do. Text me the details.’

 

He walked, towards the gate, heading towards his cousin’s bar.

 

He needed to clear his mind.

 

*****

Seungcheol laid on his cousin’s couch, enjoying the soft, cold fabric against his hot face. He was halfway drunk, but he felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Who knew a few more sips of that bitter liquid was the push he needed to finally let go? He finally let himself vent out. To whom, he couldn’t remember but he did remember cursing someone, real good.

 

Owh yeah, he cursed at Woo Ri.

 

‘Heh.’ He chuckled softly, feeling proud that he finally able to express everything in words. That he finally able to figure out what he had been feeling these past few months, to figure out what kind of omega that woman was. And all it took was Jeonghan sleeping with some alpha. Should have spent time with that male omega more often had he known that was all it took. Heck, he might even discovered the truth about Woo Ri even earlier because, obviously Jeonghan’s with alphas almost every night.

 

Wait. What was he thinking? He was confused. Why was he mixing them up?

 

Scratching his head, Seungcheol sat up, leaning forward, supporting his weight with his elbows on his knees. The confused man stared at the blank television.

 

Why was he mixing them up? They were obviously the exact opposite of each other. Because Seungcheol knew better than to get involved with another omega like Woo Ri. He did his research. Jeonghan was not-

_Owh god_.

 

Why didn’t he see it? Everything was right in front of him - the book, the rumours, the club, his suitors... they were as clear as day. Jeonghan never denied it, Seungcheol knew about. And yet, why the fuck did he thought otherwise? And why was he getting all worked up for? They were only friends. Did he think something was going to happen between them? In what universe would that happen? Someone like Jeonghan would never be with someone like him. He would never have the patience to go slow. Why did he even think, even the slightest, that-

 

Seungcheol grabbed his phone and opened the message he received last night. He remembered getting it really late at night. The goodnight message from Jeonghan. The one he felt so good receiving.

 

The omega messaged him after sleeping with that alpha. That late at night, heck, it was 2 in the morning! How long- Why?

 

Scoffing, embarrassed by his misunderstanding of the whole situation, and his pettiness, Seungcheol threw his phone away. Jeonghan was playing with him, like he was playing with the other alphas. Why didn’t he learn his lesson? He was discarded once, and right after, he let himself be used again. Why was he so stupid?

 

Wait, was Jeonghan even playing with him or was he the one getting overly excited by an omega’s attention?

 

Rubbing his eyes, leaning back against the backrest, Seungcheol let out a long sigh to calm himself. Rearranging his thoughts might help ease his throbbing brain.

 

He remembered telling himself he was not getting involved with Yoon Jeonghan. He promised himself he was only in a friendly relationship with the male omega. Did he actually crossed a line he thought he never would cross? When did it happen? Because he didn’t remember entertaining the man’s attacks. He kept his distance, he watched his words, he treated the omega like he would any of his friends. He knew he did not have feelings for the omega because for one, Jeonghan is a male, and two, they never court each other to even develop anything.

 

And yet, he felt something when he smelled another alpha on him. The feeling oh so familiar with the one he felt when he smelled Woo Ri’s scent on that modelling student at the café.

 

Why?

 

He had feelings for Woo Ri, not Jeonghan. Woo Ri cheated on him, not Jeonghan. He hate Woo Ri, not Jeonghan.

 

Such clear difference and yet he had a hard time differentiating.  Why was that?

 

Could it be… that maybe everyone was right?

 

Maybe it was because he hadn’t learn his lesson.

 

Maybe it was because he made a huge mistake.

 

Maybe it was because Woo Ri and Jeonghan are the same after all.

 

Which meant, he needed to stay away before it is too late.

 

_To be continued_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a month. I’m back!
> 
> And there! Your slight angst :3  
> You thought the walls were starting to break did you? No~ Coup’s just started to lay the bricks. Hohohoo~~ I feel bad for our alpha but he’s dealing with Jeonghan and our Hannie gets what he wants when he wants *coughs*exceptforCoups*cough*
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway guys, I’m sorry it took so long for the chapter. It’s been a fun and yet, tiring month. But I’m ready for the angst so I’ll try to update the next one in the next two weeks!!! I love you guys so much!!! <3<3<3
> 
> Also, let’s pray our Sebongie get their awards this year!!! Fighting!!!


	15. Chapter 15

Only a few more papers and the semester would be over.

 

Which meant, two more weeks left until summer break starts.

 

Which also meant, two more weeks left for him to spend with his two friends whom he hadn’t seen much since the examinations started.

 

Jeonghan knew they wouldn’t be able to see each other much as they had to study, but he didn’t expect sudden drop in contact all together. Joshua already went back to America since he had no examinations in the first place but Seungcheol, that alpha, stopped sending him random texts since last week. It felt weird, they had always been together the last few months so not having the two guys around made everything felt… out of place. Like something was not right.

 

He knew the feeling would past though. He just need time to readjust, to find something to do now that he had all these free time. It wouldn’t be that difficult since he had always been this way; alone. It never bothered him then, it should not bother him now. He just need to relearn that feeling. To relearn how to enjoy being by himself. And everything would feel alright.

 

He had to make sure it does. He had to.

 

Because the three of them were only temporary. Once they tick off everything on the list, their ‘friendship’ would end as well. They would go back to being three college students from different majors, trying to graduate.

 

Taking a long breath, Jeonghan stared at the ‘Korean experience list’ he just crossed off, counting the ones left. When the new semester starts, they would head to the karaoke which meant, another one will be ticked. It felt like a lot when he and Joshua first made the list, but now, it seemed otherwise. Once he checked everything on the piece of paper, there would be no reason for him to keep seeing the other two except for casual hang-outs, which he was sure would get old really quickly. Then, Seungcheol and Joshua would spend more and more time with their original group of friends. And fast forward a year later, they would go back to being mere acquaintances, then to somebody they used to know.

 

Sighing, feeling a bit tired from his thoughts, Jeonghan closed his notebook and put it inside his bag. He really needed a distraction from the depressing thoughts. He knew he shouldn’t overthink things, he knew he just did exactly that, and he knew the consequences. But, he also knew how to fix himself to feel better.

 

Alcohol and alphas.

*****

 

‘Tsk.’ Seungcheol clicked his tongue the two men already starting a fight this early. He looked back at his cousin who was tending the bar, wanting to ask him how he should handle it. He himself could never stop the fight, he would probably just get beaten up but Siwon was another level. Once he demand the misbehaved to stop their acts, they would listen. Why? Seungcheol would love to know but he had yet to dig it out from the man.

 

Well, it seemed the bar owner did not care. Seungcheol could never figure out the reason why the man choose to stop some, and let some proceed but whenever he asked, Siwon would just reply with a smirk or a wink. At one point he thought it could be because of the presence of VIPs in the back room but that hypothesis went out the window. So now, he was just left wondering.

 

‘Clean that up will ya?’ Siwon finally asked him, and the younger one peeked behind to see one of the brawlers dragged away by his friends. Scoffing in discontent, still wanting to know how his cousin predicted that outcome, Seungcheol got up to take a mop. That was what he was here for in the first place – to help out with the cleaning.

 

When he exited the backroom, he realized the bar was quiet.

 

‘Yah, Choi Seungcheol. You know that omega?’ Siwon suddenly came up to him, his face tensed. Getting scolded by the older alpha had been a norm so he didn’t really mind but getting called by his full name was a first. Seungcheol could sense something was wrong. ‘Omega?’

 

‘That guy with the long hair.’ Siwon pointed towards the bar, ‘said he’s your friend.’

 

There were a few people sitting at the pointed direction so it took a while but Seungcheol finally spotted whom was shown to him. ‘Fuck.’

 

‘You know him? You asked him to come?’

 

‘I didn’t- I mean, I know him. But I never-‘ Seungcheol glanced over at Jeonghan, curious and irritated at the same time. He wondered what the man was doing here, out of all the places he could be. Why the hell was he here instead of grinding with some random alphas in one of the few clubs nearby? ‘Whatever.’

 

‘Hey-‘ Seungcheol took the mop and bucket to where the beers were spilled a few minutes before. He knew Siwon was ready to give him an earful but it was not his fault. He didn’t ask Jeonghan to come here. And how the hell did Jeonghan know about this place anyway? He remembered mentioning it once, but he would never thought a mere bar was worthy enough of a place to be visited by the great Yoon Jeonghan. It was not as if there were any good alphas here the man could sleep with. There were only hooligans. Seriously, what was he thinking coming to this place? No omega ever step foot inside.

 

 _Ah_ , of course. That was probably the reason why he came here. There were no rivals, only potential sleeping partners.

 

Of course.

*****

 

‘Hey, back off. He’s my cousin’s friend.’ Jeonghan stared at the buffed bartender scaring the alphas away from him. So, this bartender is the owner of the bar and the car he rode last time. And also the owner of that house with the really comfortable couch. He and Seungcheol do not look alike at all except for, well, their bodies. Maybe their family are just, naturally muscular. ‘Sorry ‘bout that. I’ll call Cheol right now.’

 

‘Nah, it’s fine.’ He refused, not wanting to bother his working friend. He didn’t came here for that.

 

To be honest, he didn’t know why he came here in the first place.

 

He was at the club, dancing and drinking like always but by the time he realized it, he was already outside, walking back alone. It was still so early, not even a drunkard in sight and yet, he was already done for the night. But, since he was already outside, Jeonghan decided to start walking around, trying to bring himself back in the mood to re-enter the club. He needed to be able to lose himself in order to fix the weird feelings he had this last week. Because if alphas do not work anymore, he would need to depend on pills again and that was not a road he wanted to take.

 

It took him probably fifteen minutes of walking before he stumbled upon the bar, deep into the neighbourhood. The elegant sign was what drew him in, not the name because he certainly didn’t remember it at all. That said, he most definitely, didn’t think Seungcheol would be here until he came through the door and saw him. He came inside with the mere thought of wanting a change of atmosphere and he got what he came for. He just, never thought he would be the only omega here. The overwhelmingly strong alpha scents here caught him off guard, Jeonghan wished he never stepped inside in the first place. He felt as if he needed to keep his guards up, more than usual or he would end up in trouble.

 

But, he was already here. Leaving right away would attract more attention than needed.

 

‘Ignore them. Omegas never come here so they’re a bit excited.’ The owner’s presence nearby helped calm his nerve a bit and Jeonghan wished the man would never have to leave his sight. Being eyed by alphas was nothing unusual but there was just something about the people here which was a bit unnerving. ‘It’s cool. I’m used to it.’

 

The bartender smiled at his reply, ‘I guess we alphas can’t leave pretty omegas like you alone.’

 

‘As if how we look really matters for you alphas.’ Jeonghan laughed it off, noting the brief change of expression on the other man. Did he say something wrong? Maybe the joke was not appropriate for this kind of place because the reactions he got at the clubs were always better than what he just saw. Although, to be honest, if the guy replied him with a suggestive answer like they would at the club, Jeonghan would probably find that appalling, considering his current situation.

 

‘Everything alright?’ the omega turned to his side at the familiar voice of his friend. He was about to answer before, ‘Cheol, a word.’

 

Siwon dragged Seungcheol to the back.

 

 

Seungcheol closed his eyes in annoyance, glaring at his older cousin. Seeing Jeonghan just ruined his mood, he did not want to have to listen to any lecture but that was what he was about to get. No doubt.

 

‘What the hell are you thinking bringing him here?’ Siwon hissed at him to which he could only roll his eyes. He already told the man he did not invite the omega, apparently the latter thought different. As if his words could not be trusted. ‘Can’t you see how they’re eyeing him?’

 

‘Hey, I told you I didn’t bring him here.’ He replied bitterly, tired of explaining himself for something trivial. Jeonghan obviously came here on his own accord, with the thought of finding a bed partner. And he got what he came here for. Peeking to his left at the sight of the pretty omega now surrounded by curious alphas, Seungcheol sighed. ‘Jeonghan’s probably used to that kind of attention anyway.’ No, he probably loved it. Owh how he wanted to say it but held his tongue because he knew his older relative would not take it well.

 

‘So you just gonna let them do that to him? You know these people.’ Again, the hiss. And again, the younger turned his head to see what Siwon was implying. One of them already started to touch Jeonghan, his face disturbingly close. But his friend didn’t seem bothered by it, so obviously he was into it. It was not his place to do anything about it. It was none of his business. ‘Go home Cheol. Bring him back with you.’

 

Somehow that demanding tone irritated Seungcheol. Enough that he felt attacked. ‘So you can bring your girl here but I need to send my guy friend home.’

 

‘She’s a beta, Cheol.’ Siwon cut him off before Seungcheol had a chance to get his point across. It seemed, the older was really angry, which honestly, he did not understand why. It was not as if he had a ‘no omega’ rule for his bar, and Jeonghan clearly was not troubled at all. Why would he even think about throwing his customer out? ‘How long you think it’ll take before one of those rutting alphas start using force? Huh?’

 

Force? Siwon was clearly overreacting. Why the hell would anyone use force when all the parties enjoy themselves? Besides, he bet Jeonghan would leave with one of them before any fight occur. He seem to have a way with alphas.

 

Disappointed by the lack of response, the older of the two rested his case. ‘Wow. And I thought you’re more responsible than this.’ Siwon shook his head, leaving towards the front without any more words. Seungcheol bit his inner lips, looking at the commotion as his cousin knocked on the counter to shoo the alphas away. And just like crows, they left, murmuring their discontent. The older then proceeded to whisper something to Jeonghan, he didn’t know what but it made the omega stare back at him briefly.  

 

And during that brief moment, their eyes interlocked.

 

‘Hey Seungcheol!’ Siwon called, snapping his fingers to get his attention, ‘Look after the bar for a while ‘kay?’ he asked loudly, pointing at Jeonghan who was now making his way to the entrance. The man grabbed his key in the drawer and followed behind not long after.

 

Seungcheol stared at the sink, his brows furrowed. Something about that sight really irked him. He didn’t really know why, but he felt like he should stop them. He really should. And so, ignoring the request for a drink from one of the customer, Seungcheol chased after them. He grabbed Siwon lightly, just enough to get his attention. ‘I’ll walk him home.’

 

Siwon sighed softly. He gave both the students a few looks, then glanced at the dark street before handing Seungcheol the car key. ‘You’re not walking. I don’t trust those guys.’ He paused, ‘take the car.’

*****

 

‘My cousin’s off limit. He has a girlfriend and I really like her.’ Jeonghan turned to look at the alpha briefly, his mind trying to process that information and the reason it was relayed to him. It took him a while because he was surprised by the sudden voice. Seungcheol had not said a word since they left the bar. ‘Okay?’

 

‘You’re… alpha hunting, right?’ Seungcheol asked and Jeonghan finally understood it. He did not tell that to him to notice him, it was a warning. The one uncalled for. Because they were not going home together, the owner offered to send him home. He asked if Jeonghan needed help to get away and offered him a ride. Not that he would mind if something actually happen on the way back because that alpha was definitely better than the other ones, but no, he did not have that in mind when he agreed to the offer.

 

Scoffing at the suggestion, Jeonghan leaned back against the chair. ‘Yeah. So… that’s the bar.’

 

‘Uh-uh.’ Then there was an awkward silence. He did not like the silence. It felt like the first time he rode with Seungcheol, only this time, the man did not make an effort to talk. And Jeonghan did not enjoy the quiet as much as he did that first time. ‘Just drop me off somewhere.’

 

‘You’re not going back?’

 

‘Feel like walking.’ He answered. Short and simple. He really did not feel like he wanted to be near the person next to him right now. Because he felt really uncomfortable right now, and that bothered him because he always liked being around the alpha. Not tonight though. Tonight he felt like keeping distance because… just, because.

 

He could feel Seungcheol looking at him but kept his stare out the window, wishing that the car would stop. There were almost no other cars in sight, they wouldn’t stop traffic. ‘Here’s good. Stop.’

 

‘Jeonghan, Siwon’ll kill me if I let you walk.’

 

‘He wouldn’t know.’ Jeonghan retorted, just wanting the alpha to shut up and stop the car. He was not in the mood right now. His mind was in a mess and this whole situation was not playing good by him. Obviously, he needed that alcohol he left at the bar. Which meant, he was ready to go back to the club and lose himself. No, he had to go back.

 

‘Owh trust me. You don’t wanna mess with Siwon.’ The alpha suddenly decided he wanted to chat. Unfortunately, Jeonghan was not feeling it. Now almost desperate to get out of the vehicle, the younger tried to open the door but with no luck. The child lock was on, god knows for what. Biting his lips from the confusing, overwhelming hopelessness, Jeonghan leaned against the backrest, lowering the seat and closed his eyes with his left hand. His eyes were shaking, he didn’t know why.

 

 

The absence of the figure beside him caused Seungcheol to turn his head. Jeonghan had the seat down so low he was almost lying down.

 

Something was wrong with the omega.

 

He didn’t know if he said anything wrong which caused it because, obviously it was not his warning. Jeonghan would never care about those stuff, being the kind of hard ass he is. At least, if he minded it, he would have said something. Like he usually would. So, was it because he refused to let him get off the car? If so, there was no need to act this way because he could do that.

 

…yeah he could do that.

 

Except he didn’t want to.

 

‘Owh yeah… you have anything you wanna tell me? Since you came all the way here…’ Seungcheol tried again to start a conversation but to not avail. Jeonghan still remained quiet, ignoring his attempts. The man was upset, and that really bothered him. He never seen Jeonghan like this. Usually with Jeonghan, it was always him being overly happy, or angry. Or disinterested. This was none of them.

 

This was new.

 

‘Look, sorry we interrupted your fun but the bar’s not good place for an omega.’ For some reason, Seungcheol felt the need to explain himself. He knew he did not have to do it, just like how he could just leave Jeonghan there, or let Siwon send him home. They were nothing more than friends anyways, if, he could even say that to begin with.

 

‘We’re here. Jeong-‘

 

‘Unlock the door.’ Seungcheol scrambled in his seat at the sound of the omega’s voice. He saw the other holding on the handle and it took him a few seconds to understand why that request was made. Finally found the right button, he clicked it, ‘He-‘

 

Before he could finish, he heard the door slammed closed.

 

The omega was gone.

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a dark chapter ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ
> 
> I know Coups is a bit of an a-hole right now, he’s trying to protect himself but… looks like he couldn’t ignore Hannie like he wanted to :3 Ohohoo!! Somehow they managed to creep into each other’s mind and decided to stay….
> 
> Anyways, it’s gonna get a bit depressing for a while, I think. But, fear not! There’ll be light! I mean, to those who read Claimed and CTLF, you probably know that there’s only half a year left before their *cough*bond*cough* They’ll toughen up!
> 
>  
> 
> Lastly, as per usual, don't forget to let me know your thoughts on the chapter!! I really do appreciate it!!! I love you guys so much!!! Have a nice day!! <3<3


	16. Chapter 16

His phone just alerted him of a message. Taking it out of his pocket, Jeonghan casually swiped through while still eating his sandwich. It was from Seungcheol, asking him whether he was done with exams. He was, days ago, but he didn’t care to notify the other because it shouldn’t matter. Putting his phone back down without replying, it vibrated again, and again, stealing the attention of the alpha in front of him.

 

'Wow, you're gonna leave the person hanging?' Jeonghan glared at the stranger whose name he already forgotten, not liking the interest in his personal life.  He really hate this kind of people, thinking they can judge his actions and control him which was exactly what the guy was trying to do, no matter how playful he was making it seem. As if telling him that would make him consider replying. Ignoring the alpha and eating the last of his sandwich, Jeonghan grabbed his stuff and went out the door, not caring about the whine from the alpha as he exited the apartment.

 

Sitting on the bench, waiting for the bus, Jeonghan looked at the time; it was already afternoon. It didn't really matter though because he started his summer holiday so time ceased to be of importance anymore. Not like he had anywhere to be at any time.

 

Bored of waiting, the young omega finally clicked on the notifications he got from Seungcheol.

 

_Just done with mine :) – Coups_

 

_Wanna celebrate? – Coups_

 

_Not karaoke. Shua’s gonna cry – Coups_

 

_Food? – Coups_

 

Jeonghan stared at the messages, not finding the usual excitement he usually would. This was the first time the man messaged him since the examination season began, their first contact after his misadventure at the bar. It felt weird, how unbothered he was with the messages when he used to look forward to them a few weeks ago. Maybe, somewhere along the way, his friends lost their magic on him. No, they felt like a curse. They make him feel even worse than last night when his childhood memories haunted him again. Because at least he knew some alpha would be able to make him forget about his nightmares but this, this feeling his 'friends' left him with, was incurable.

 

Something felt missing.

 

He felt…alone. And not the kind he was used to. This was new. This was worse. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t find an escape.

 

This was suffocating.

 

Swallowing hard while reading the texts over and over again, Jeonghan placed his thumbs on the screen. He should reply. Just for the sake of whatever.

 

_Last one's tomorrow_

 

He lied, hoping Seungcheol would lose interest. He knew the man was suggesting they meet, but he didn't want to see the alpha right now.

 

He knew it might be due to the stress of the exams which changed his alpha friend's usual demeanor to a slight aggression, but he always believe that moments of stress would reveal the true character of a person. And he did not think he could handle Seungcheol. How the man looked the night he warned Jeonghan about his cousin, it made the latter feel so small. It made him feel ashamed. And he was tired those feelings. So, _so_ tired.

 

 _Bzzz. Bzzz_. Jeonghan looked at his screen again, slightly surprised by how fast the reply was.

 

_Wanna have dinner tomorrow? – Coups_

 

_I need to tell you something – Coups_

 

Jeonghan sighed again, rubbing his face with his palm. He should be able to say no to this easily, considering he had rejected a lot of people before. But, he couldn’t bring himself to. He just couldn’t.

 

 _Okay_.

 

Was his reply.

 

*****

Seungcheol sat on the bench, playing his favourite game while waiting for his eating partner to arrive. Once in a while he would pause the game to check the time and make sure he didn’t miss any incoming message before getting back to wasting his time.

 

He really needed to do this. Because it would be too late to do it at the start of the next semester.

 

After returning the car to its owner that night, he got another lecture from Siwon's girlfriend, his cousin apparently called her to teach him a lesson on responsibility. Though it really irked him how they tried to meddle with his life despite him already being an adult, he had to admit, he didn’t actually know what he was doing and why.

 

He was confused. And as Liu Wen pointed out, he misdirected his anger to the next omega which happened to be Yoon Jeonghan. It didn’t help that the omega kept teasingly flirt with him either. He realized Jeonghan was just being playful and because he was used to doing so, he probably didn’t notice the fact that Seungcheol misread his playfulness as a show of real affection. But at the same time Seungcheol too, should have known from the very beginning what the other was doing, having read the omega's book and heard the rumours.

 

At the end of the day, he understood that the root of his problem was the ambiguity of their relationship. It was hard enough to even imagine an omega and an alpha being merely platonic, so obviously, the line was never set. Which was why it was easy for them to cross the line to romantic, thinking it was normal. That was why he needed to do this tonight, for the sake of continuing their friendship. He needed to make their relationship clear – no more than close friends.

 

And of course, apologize for his confusion and action that night. Jeonghan looked really pissed.

 

Hearing his name being called, Seungcheol waved to the omega making his way towards him. He waited for the other to reach him before walking to the barbecue place side-by-side. The forced smile on Jeonghan told him that the man was indeed not pleased with how they left things during their last meeting, and Seungcheol did not have anything to say about that. It was his fault, Jeonghan had the right to be mad.

 

 

'So…' he started as soon as they were done with their orders, now sensing how awkward their situation was. Sure, they both pretended everything was as usual, but Seungcheol only now noticed how abruptly he stopped contacting the omega from his own misunderstanding. And due to that, obviously, he didn’t know what the younger male had been doing for the past weeks so there was nothing to talk about. Thinking as fast as he could, he asked the only reasonable question right now, '… what're you gonna do this summer?'

 

'Nothing.’ Was the short answer. Jeonghan was still giving him the cold shoulders, just like that night at the bar. Nodding his head to show he heard the man, he continued, 'Not going back home?'

 

'I don’t have a home.’ Jeonghan stated which caused the alpha to curse at himself. Jeonghan lived in a shelter all his life, without foster parents, as written in his book. That was a stupid question. 'Owh. So, not returning to the shelter?'

 

The bitter smile on the other caused Seungcheol to bite his lower lip. He could sense the other was not comfortable talking about it. It made him curious. Did something happen?

 

'I'm old enough to live on my own. There're others who need the space more than me.’ Jeonghan finally spoke, his voice not without a hint of sadness. He was supposed to move out earlier, at around 17-18 years old, just like all the other children who grew up with him but the caretakers managed to convince him to stay as a part of the volunteers. But now that he was a full time student who no longer contributes, he didn’t have the right for the room anymore. The only reason he even left his stuff there was because he didn’t need them, and his room at the old building would be converted to a storeroom.

 

Seungcheol nodded, feeling lost. He thought talking about summer holidays would lighten the mood but instead, he ended up bringing bitter memories. Jeonghan never mentioned about his life at the shelter so it was easy to forget he was not like the rest of the people. It was easy to forget his past.

 

Two plates of raw meats were placed in front of them, an action which the alpha felt thankful for as it distracted the long-haired man from the solemn atmosphere. Without any more exchange of words, Jeonghan started putting the meats on the grill, busying himself. It was obvious he did not want to talk anymore. Pouring himself a glass of soju, Seungcheol stared at the other’s actions, wanting to do something as well.

 

This was awkward. So very awkward. If Joshua was here, the man would know what to do. He never realized how important the other omega was in their little pack.

 

Both males were now staring at their food, the only words spoken were those confirming whether the meat was good enough to be eaten followed by silence. All the while, Seungcheol kept on wishing something might happen so the dinner might be cut short. He was already regretting this decision, this dinner. Sighing softly, trying to muster the courage to finally speak what he intended to in the first place, he finally uttered, ‘Listen. About that night,’

 

‘Which one?’

 

‘At the bar. I-‘

 

‘You’re sorry?’ Seungcheol gulped, caught off-guard by the sudden interception. ‘Yeah, I-‘

 

‘Okay.’ Jeonghan took the meat, deeming it cooked enough and started placing them on each of their plates. And without any more sound, he started to eat. A few seconds passed before he finally realized the alpha not touching his and asked, ‘What?’

 

‘I was a jerk and-‘

 

‘Coups, I get it. You’re sorry. I shouldn’t have gone to the bar so-’

 

‘It’s not that. I wasn’t in my right mind and-‘ Seungcheol paused, looking at the omega who was staring back at him, his face confused. It was the first expression he saw on the man tonight. ‘Jeonghan, we’re friends, right?’

 

It took a while, but Jeonghan finally smirked. Seungcheol did not know how to read that, ‘Heol. What kind of question is that?’

 

‘We’re just friends, right?’ Seungcheol repeated, hopeful. He could sense the other was tired and was trying to avoid answering, maybe. He was not sure. He hoped Jeonghan was thinking about how absurd the question was because the answer was obvious.

 

‘Duh. What else do you think we are?’ That was a relief. Seungcheol realized he was not hiding his joy the moment he saw the look on the omega’s face - that of annoyance. ‘It’s not- I, I don’t have any close omega friends so, you know, it gets a bit confusing.’ He stated, rubbing the back of his neck in shame. He thought he would seem cooler than this, but he just looked pathetic right now. ‘So, yeah. I’m sorry I treated you bad the last few weeks.’

 

Jeonghan could only stare at the alpha in front of him, trying to comprehend what had just been spoken to him. So, the man had been treating him badly the past few weeks. Badly. The sudden absence of texts, the ignorance at the bar, the refusal to let him out of the car while sending him home, those were bad treatments? Minus the last one, those were everyday life for him. Those, were bad? Bad enough for the alpha to apologize to him this way?

 

Bad would be physical assaults like the ones he would encounter at the clubs, or during bad sex. Bad would be the verbal assaults, sexual ones. Seungcheol was nowhere near bad. The man really lives in a perfect world if he thought he was one. Chuckling, he finally replied, ‘Oh my god, you’re really weak.’

 

‘What?’ Seungcheol asked, but the omega was not capable of answering him right now. Jeonghan couldn’t stop laughing, which was a bit disturbing to be honest. He did not say anything funny and yet, the man was already this teary. Forcing himself to smile along, Seungcheol grabbed a glass and drank his alcohol. He wasn’t feeling good about this situation. Maybe Jeonghan was already drunk.

 

‘So, you treated me badly,’ Jeonghan was finally calm enough to talk, making a quoting gesture with his fingers, ‘because what? You think we’re more than friends? Why- How is that-?’

 

‘Let’s just say my last one didn’t go well.’

 

‘Owh come on, you owe me more than that.’ Jeonghan was now curious at the logic behind his action. Seungcheol was confused about their relationship so he decided to treat Jeonghan ‘badly’? Would that not be the opposite of what he was supposed to do?

 

‘She slept with someone else.’ Seungcheol poured himself more soju, but only held it in his hand. His face was tensed as he stared into the empty bottle, the clenched jaw clear to the other. The omega wanted to say something but decided to hold his tongue. Because Seungcheol looked hurt, and that was not something he liked seeing. ‘But, we’re friends so, you can sleep with whoever.’

 

Jeonghan felt his face twitched. Something about what just came out from the alpha’s mouth bothered him. A bit. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that Seungcheol assume he had the right to tell him who he should or should not fuck? Just because they were close? Even though he didn’t say it out loud, he still thought about it so, yeah, that could be it. Just like all the other alphas who thought they own him just because he slept with them once. If so, he really fucked up by hanging out with the guy.

 

Thank god it was over. But just to be clear, he responded, ‘Yeah. We’re friends. Cus I’m not hanging around someone I fucked. And I’m not fucking you.’

 

‘Yah! You-‘ Jeonghan took his own glass and clinked with the alpha’s before the man could say anything more, signifying the end of their misunderstanding. All things certain, he hope that things would stay this way. Because Choi Seungcheol keeps him entertained, and he did not want to lose the guy.

 

That being said, it was rather whimsical to know that he had been ghosted by the alpha. Because he didn’t actually realize it, so the only one affected by the whole thing was the man himself.

 

Seungcheol really never ceased to amuse him.

 

*****

It was too quiet. The whole place was too quiet.

 

Jeonghan stared at the ceiling, trying to distract himself by counting his heartbeat. It had only been two weeks since the dormitory was emptied and already he felt bored. Granted, it didn’t really affected him in the first place considering he was never outside his room to interact with any of them but, everything just felt, out of place.

 

He had everything to himself – the library, the lounge, the gym, and yet, nothing kept him entertained. He didn’t have his nightmares as much so nights at the club felt more like a chore instead of an escape. For the past few days he would rather stay indoors but, there was nothing to do here.

 

Nothing.

 

Getting up from the bed and made his way to the fridge, Jeonghan brought out his six packs. Might as well get drunk.

 

*****

When he accepted the offer to go on a short trip with his high school friends, Seungcheol thought it would have been awkward because he was not really close with them back then. Aside from eating lunch and sitting together during club activities, he never went out with them outside of school. But the trip was not as boring as he thought it would be. It made him wonder why he never liked the idea back then.

 

‘Hey man, you’re the same school as his Woo Ri right?’ One of his friends ask another, sipping on the beer as they sat down outside the lodge. Seungcheol could only smile, remembering the posts she had on her Instagram page, doing embarrassing things to get people’s attention. She did succeed, her followers tripled in the last months but Seungcheol could never comprehend sacrificing her dignity for that. His friends were now laughing and talking about her, and he didn’t feel angered at all. He thought he would, but he wasn’t. Because he agreed.

 

Maybe he finally moved on.

 

Looking around the veranda, trying to distract himself so his friends would not ask him further about his old lover, Seungcheol noticed one of the customers reading a familiar looking book not so far from them. It was Jeonghan’s book, and the omega’s face was on the cover. Probably noticing where he was staring, his friend, Jongup proceeded ‘What’s he like? Is he really like the rumour?’

 

‘Huh?’ He asked, surprised by the sudden random question.

 

‘That omega. The author?’ Jongup pointed at the book, ‘He’s in your university right?’ Seungcheol nodded, not denying it, ‘Is he really, you know? Bad-ass and a bit sadistic?’

 

‘Owh yeah.’ Seungyoon added, ‘I heard he’s a player.’ 

 

Seungcheol recalled his omega friend back in campus. Yoon Jeonghan is actually a bad-ass, that was true. Sadistic? He did remember the few times that man laugh at his miseries which, were usually caused by Jeonghan himself so yeah, maybe a bit sadistic. But that last one, he didn’t know. It might be true, he sleeps around, but in all honesty, he never seen Jeonghan going on dates or hang out with other alphas except that one time at his café. So, he might be, who knew what he does at night or when he was not with them. ‘Maybe?’

 

‘So, you ever meet him?’ The tallest of the four asked, now curious about a real celebrity. Seungcheol nodded his head and stopped, deciding to say nothing more. He figured revealing that they are friends would only result in two things, them asking him about his personal life or one of them wanting an introduction.

 

‘He must be really popular right?’ Again, a nod. Clearly his friend was trying to steer the conversation so Seungcheol would reveal all the gossips surrounding the young author. No longer wanting to entertain the questions, he stated, ‘I guess. We’re not the same department.’

 

Thankfully, the others could read in between the lines and let it rest.

 

Getting up from his seat, Seungcheol went inside to order himself a soda. While waiting, his mind went astray wandering about the question that was just asked. Is Jeonghan popular? He thought so before he got to know the omega. There was no denying that he is famous, but not in a sense that he is always surrounded fans. It is quite the opposite. People always wants to know about him and yet, Jeonghan is always, alone. So, is he really popular?

 

The sound of the owner of the lodge brought him back to reality and Seungcheol thanked him before bringing his beverage towards his friends. Sitting back down, no longer interested in the conversation the three were having, he looked back at the book. Jeonghan should be at the dormitory right now, since he said he was not returning to the shelter. Surely he would get bored, seeing that there was nothing to do at campus during school holidays…

 

Speaking of, he wondered if the omega ever went on a vacation. He said he never do all the things normal teenagers get to do hence their bucket list, so it would not be wrong to assume that includes going on a trip with his friends.  

 

‘Yah, you’re going to Geoje again this year?’ Jongup asked, and Seungcheol looked around. His friends were staring at him, probably curious as well. It had been his family tradition since they were young, his parents wanting to let his brother and him experience living a simple life in a village at least once a year. They would spend the days renting a boat to go fishing, diving, haggling prices, all the things rural villagers do. These guys used to laugh at him when they were younger but now they seemed really interested. ‘Every year.’

 

‘Cool. So, we’re planning on….’

 

He wondered if Jeonghan ever tried fishing before. He doubt the man would like it but, it would be better than rotting in his room doing nothing. Taking out his phone, Seungcheol started to type,

 

_Hey, I know it’s not a Korean thing but, you wanna try fishing?_

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!!! Hope you had a good holidays!
> 
> Jeongcheol finally made up! But they’re still denying their feelings for each other and now decided to stay ‘friends’ :( Jeonghan’s also didn’t realize the loneliness he felt because of Coups. Also, isn’t it sad that Hannie’s too used to bad treatments that his definition of bad is the extreme one?
> 
> And… Coups kept thinking about Hannie!!! Hohohoo!! Even after confirming their relationship, he just couldn’t help himself!! ₍₍ (ง Ŏ౪Ŏ)ว ⁾⁾
> 
> FYI, something funny happened as I was writing this chapter. Usher's 'You Remind Me' played on the radio which is actually the perfect fit for what Coups had been feeling towards Hannie and his ex xD
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, thank you for commenting and loving this fic!!! As usual, I’m sorry if I forgot to reply to your comments but I’m getting to it!!! But know that I truly appreciate each and every one of it guys!! I love you so much!!


	17. Chapter 17

Jeonghan tapped his legs before making fists and biting his lips as he waited for the alpha to send him a message signifying his arrival. He was already regretting his decision but he knew it was too late to pull away right now. Honestly, he was not sure why he agreed to join the man’s family vacation in the first place. For one, fishing never appeals to him, and two, out of all the places, surely the man could do better than a fisherman’s village. Not to mention, he would be a total stranger towards the alpha’s family. It would be so awkward.

 

Being around families are awkward. He would never fit in. He would be an unwanted presence. They would mind him too much and start to despise him. He would only ruin the trip.

 

He should cancel it.

 

Domestic life is never going to be his thing. He would definitely hate the next few days.

 

Why the hell was he so stupid? What was he thinking? What the fuck was wrong with him?

*****

 

‘An omega?’ Seungcheol rolled his eyes at the question. He could guess what would be said next, ‘You said he’s a friend.’

 

‘Eomma, Jeonghan’s just a friend.’ He answered, his hand on the door handle, ready to get out of the car. He would, he wanted to, anything to escape his mother’s nagging but he knew he would have to sit this one through. Because the moment Jeonghan sits inside the car and they move to their destination, whatever left unsaid would very much affect the whole trip. Turning his head towards his older brother who could only offer him a smile, he sighed.

 

‘But an omeg-‘

 

‘A guy.’ He insisted and turned to his mother, smiling at her to ease her worry. He knew he should have told her the fact that his friend whom he invited to join their family trip is an omega, but since they were nothing more than friends, he thought it shouldn’t matter. Well, he hoped it doesn’t matter. Obviously it does. ‘I don’t like men.’

 

The look on his mother told him that she wanted to say something but it seemed that she held her tongue.  It had come to this, and there was no other choice but to go through with it unless she wanted her son to tell his friend not to come. No matter how much she disagrees with this, that was too much to ask. Seungcheol was not fond of this situation either. Albeit knowing he was in the wrong, he really wanted to spend the week with his close friend. The trip might be fun when they were younger, but now it had gotten to a point where they only try to have fun out of respect for the family tradition. At least, for Jeonghan, this would be a whole new experience, and based on his time spent entertaining the man’s other firsts, it would be fun to just be with him when he experience it. To answer his stupid questions and comply with his weird requests…

 

…but, at the same time, he does understand the concern. His whole family was finally relieved that he had broken up with his ex-lover whom they never liked. They probably thought he was using Jeonghan as a rebound.

 

Except, they could never be more wrong.

*****

 

The notification sound from his phone alerted Jeonghan who then closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Rubbing his face a few times, he pulled open his bedside drawer. If he take the pill now, he would be able to calm himself in about an hour or so.

 

But...

 

He really shouldn’t. They would notice. They would think he hates being with them.

 

He really shouldn’t…

 

Taking the small bottle anyway, he put it inside his bag. Just in case he might need it later. The car ride would probably be silent, so he should be able to get away by sleeping it off but the trip is almost a week-long. He would be stuck with strangers for almost a week. The only time he would caught himself doing something like that is during his heat, and even then, the time would be filled with sex, food and sleep. No room for conversations whatsoever. He might get bored the first day and end up losing his mind, or the nightmares might haunt him at night and he would have no alphas around to help him forget it.

 

Jeonghan sighed. It was already too late to do anything about it. Opening the gate, Jeonghan weakly waved at the familiar face.

 

'Everything packed?' Seungcheol, who was waiting just outside the dormitory welcomed him with a huge smile, the one revealing his gums. Jeonghan nodded, 'Everything on your list is,’ he paused, looking around, still hesitant to go forward. 'Where's the car?'

 

'Right in front your department.’ Jeonghan nodded again, thankful that they didn’t come all the way here because he might end up locking himself inside his room instead. He knew the feeling is ridiculous, he never had any problem with adults, but families, a happy one especially, was never a part of his social circle. The closest he ever got to was when one tried to adopt him, but then refused for reasons. Others who ended up in the shelter are from broken families with dark histories, just like himself.

 

So yeah, he was not suit for a 'happy family'.

 

'Come on. We need to avoid traffic.’ Jeonghan followed behind, not feeling like walking alongside the alpha. The latter noticed the lack of enthusiasm and slowed down his step instead. 'It's actually better than it looks on the internet.’

 

'I bet.’

 

'Owh. Fishing's boring. So you'll have to bear with that.’

 

'Okay. Now you tell me.’ He sarcastically remarked, making the other laugh. Smiling along, he took a deep breath, somehow feeling a bit relieved.

 

At least Seungcheol would be there with him.

 

Everything should be okay.

*****

 

Jeonghan listened to Haneul's laughter as he told embarrassing stories about his younger brother, and in the front, their mother laughed while sometimes peeking towards her mate. He couldn’t see much of Seungcheol's father except his eyes, but as seen from the rear-view mirror, he too, was smiling. His friend covered his face, pretending to get mad at his older brother for revealing what was supposed to be a secret but Jeonghan knew the parents already knew about it long before.

 

Such a happy sight. The one he would only encounter in commercials. Heck, even the ones in the movies are not as happy as this bunch. It felt as if a host would come out any moment now telling him he was in a hidden camera or some shit like that.

 

Any moment now…

 

Just a few seconds from now…

 

…Well. Okay then. This was real life.

 

Jeonghan sighed inwardly, not understanding the situation he was in. Honestly he didn’t get why everyone was laughing. Haneul was definitely telling the story to him since everyone obviously already knew about it, while Seungcheol was telling him not to believe his brother while laughing. He was not purposely trying to be bitter about it, he actually tried to listen to the story eagerly at first, but he just, couldn’t understand what was so funny about the story. Everyone started to laugh so he tried to be enthusiastic at first, but that did nothing for him.

 

Just like always, the only one not getting it was him. The only one not a part of the fun was hi-

 

'So Jeonghan, how’d you meet my brother?' the older omega asked, breaking his toxic thoughts. The question made him realize how quiet it was now, and the attention was turned towards him instead. Jeonghan felt his heart shrunk.

 

Everyone was looking at him. Everyone was expecting him to talk.

 

This was it. This was his chance. If he blew this, they would regret letting him join their vacation. He needed to do this right. He shouldn’t spoil the mood. He needed to prove that he is fun.

 

Okay, he should answer the question.

 

The question…

 

What was the question?

 

His heart beating violently as cold crept down his spine, Jeonghan made a fist with his both his hands, trying to hurt himself to distract his mind. This was an attack. He was having a fucking panic attack. Right now.

 

FUCK!

 

'Orientation.’ Seungcheol answered, his sudden voice making the omega flinch a bit. Jeonghan could feel himself sweating once the silence followed, signifying the time for another question. He did not know what was going on. He had anticipated some sort of interrogation, so why was he having an attack? Why was he so afraid to answer? Answering personal question had been a norm to him ever since he was a child, he was already so used to it and yet, why was he tongue-tied?

 

Why??

 

'Owh, same team?'

 

'N-' Jeonghan tried to get over this episode by answering. However, he found that hard to do. Thankfully, before his struggle became too obvious, the alpha interrupted, again, ‘Yeah.’

 

'Yah, you should let him speak Cheol.’ Haneul hit his younger brother's head lightly, which shocked the other omega as it triggered a flash of memory, the one from his childhood which he had long tried to forget. Jeonghan froze in place, afraid that moving might cause him to be hit. But hearing a whine followed by soft chuckles made him realize it was merely a playful fight. Funnily, that few millisecond when his heart stopped from the shock, actually managed to relax his body a bit and Jeonghan found himself softening his grip, bit by bit.

 

'Sorry my hyung’s like this.’ Seungcheol finally addressed, done with whatever he was having with his brother. Next to him, the brother only smirked. ‘I’m actually really kind.’

 

‘Heol. So-’

 

‘You're close with all your team members?' the mother suddenly asked, amidst the chaos. Her womanly voice was distinguishable among the other males’ so despite the two sons still planning to bicker, Jeonghan could hear her clearly. Which meant, trying to ignore her question was not an option. He gulped, trying to answer the question as best as he could - with the truth. But a brief look at Seungcheol who was staring back at him, he knew he shouldn’t. And so, stuttering, 'N-no. Just w-with another guy.’

 

'Josh.’

 

'Joshua.’ He repeated, cursing himself inwardly for how awkward and pathetic he was right now. Too embarrassed and scared to look up front, Jeonghan kept his head down before hearing a low laugh from the old driver. 'Haha. I didn’t take you as a shy guy.’

 

'He's not. Eomma's just scary.’ Seungcheol answered which earned him another hit. Jeonghan could only smile softly as another playful hitting session commenced right in front of him, giving him the alone time he needed as the attention was no longer on him. Not wanting to get caught in the anxiety-triggering questionings again, Jeonghan leaned against the window and looked outside, the white noise lullabying him to sleep.

*****

 

‘Alright. We’re here.’ Jeonghan turned his head around the car to scan the place. The small house where they would be staying was exactly how Seungcheol described – old, small, but pretty and well kept. Haneul quickly got off the car and pulled the seat forward to make room for Jeonghan to do the same. Mr. Choi went to greet the owner of the house. Seungcheol and his mother remained up front, talking.

 

‘Hey, let’s get the bags inside. The door’s probably unlocked.’ Haneul suggested and Jeonghan complied, not wanting to get in the way. He peeked towards the mother-son duo seemingly waiting for his absence to talk before following behind the older omega, entering the foreign house.

 

Seungcheol’s mother did not like him being here. He knew this trip was a mistake.

*****

 

Seungcheol stared at the disappearing back of the omega, feeling sorry to leave his friend alone like this. But his mother was really not happy about Jeonghan and wanted to talk. Using grocery shopping as an excuse, she even asked the others to rest inside first. Forcing a smile at the omega as he started the car, he sighed when they reached the first traffic light. ‘Eomma…’

 

‘Cheol-ah, isn’t he… the kid who-‘

 

Seungcheol clenched his jaw. Of course his mother knew about Jeonghan. He bet his father and brother does too. All of them follow the news religiously, keeping up-to-date with what is happening in the world. He was the only ignorant one in the family. ‘Yeah. That kid. Bu-’

 

‘Ommo. How do you even know him? The truth, Cheol.’ His mother warned, and the alpha decided to keep silent as he pressed on the gas again. Using the time to consider telling the truth, he finally uttered, ‘Orientation. It’s the truth.’

 

‘And this Joshua kid?’

 

‘Also the truth. He’s actually our senior, but we hang out together. Three of us.’ He answered as honestly as he could. There was no use lying, Jeonghan would be with them for the next few days. Doing so would only make him and his mother uncomfortable. ‘So… you three go to clubs?’

 

‘Eomma! He’s not-‘ Seungcheol bit his lips, realizing he was about to deny the truth that everyone knew about his friend. Because Jeonghan admitted it himself in his big ‘eff you’ book. The omega obviously still frequent that place, there was no denying it. Jeonghan still gets hit, he still change sex partners every time. He still hates the alphas, and other people. He was still the man in the book.

 

But their friendship was not based on what was written. They may have started with that intention in mind, but what they have was different. Now that he thought about it, their relationship was something special. Not because it was love, or something of that sort. They were special simply because it was out of the norm for Yoon Jeonghan.

 

They were special because the Jeonghan they know is different from what other people know.

 

His mother would never understand. She would never believe it. But, he still have to at least try and convince her. ‘He’s not trying to get into my pants if that’s what you’re wondering. And no. I don’t go to clubs.’

 

‘Then what’re you doing with him?’

 

‘Have fun. Like normal friends. Go barbecue and stuff.’ He answered but the look on his mother clearly indicated that she was not convinced. And that was bad, because she now thought he frequent clubs and sleeps around with random people as well. ‘Jeonghan never experience those stuffs. And Joshua’s from America. So I’m the one showing them how to do those stuffs. Like teaching little kids how to, do stuffs.’

 

‘Stuff like?’ Another curious question, and Seungcheol sighed, ‘Go to sauna, play ttakji, eat pork ribs, those stuffs.’

 

There was silence. Seungcheol realized his mother was thinking hard. He knew she was trying to say something bad about his friend but at the same time, she was trying her best to understand. Maybe she was trying to remember what she read, or maybe she was trying to make sense of what he just said. Because to be honest, it took him a while to convince himself that someone this age never actually experience something so simple, and normal. Joshua, he could understand, but Yoon Jeonghan was another story.

 

‘What about the trip? He never went to Geoje?’ She asked and Seungcheol knew that was a trick question. Because most people never went to Geoje, so this was not an excuse.

 

‘He never went on a vacation before.’ He replied softly, now feeling a bit sad. He wanted to talk about fishing, but now that he thought about it, his friend mentioned being dragged around the country for speeches before, but never for a simple vacation. The things he took for granted, was never experienced by the omega. Despite being a well-known icon, his friend never experienced…

 

Life.

 

His mother’s soft hand on his shoulder alerted Seungcheol who felt like he was waiting for a verdict. Obviously, he was; after all, it was her decision to let Jeonghan stay or not, though he doubt she would choose the latter. Instead of a stern answer, she only uttered, ‘You’re too soft. That’s why you’re always taken advantage of…’

 

‘Eomma,’ he replied, ‘He’s not Woo Ri.’

 

‘I know… but he’s not a good influence either.’

 

‘Maybe, I’m the good influence he need?’ He pleaded, a bit embarrassed at how desperate he wanted her to accept his friend. No matter how hard he tried, he could not ignore Jeonghan so he really need the man to be here with him right now. Just so he could have some peace.

 

No, not because he liked Yoon Jeonghan. Because he cared for the man like he would a lost puppy.

 

Wait.

 

No, like he would a dog from a shelter.

 

Yeah, that was more like it. He wanted Jeonghan to experience everything he never experienced before because of his past life. He wanted to give Jeonghan all the good things that life could offer.

 

*****

 

Jeonghan sat at the sofa, staring at the dark television screen, not knowing what to do. The father-son duo had gone out for a walk, leaving him alone at the house. Haneul did invited him to join but Jeonghan refused. He only met them today, he couldn’t imagine being alone with the two of them.

 

He couldn’t imagine being alone with a strange alpha without any lewd intention.

 

Is that even possible?

 

He couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Choi ever forced Haneul to do something he didn’t want to. Obviously they looked close, but it could be because the guy was brainwashed since he was little. Did the alpha ever hit his mate? Because his mother was hit a lot of time as well, but she still looked at his ‘stepfather’ like he was god.

 

Shit.

 

What if the alpha tried to do something to him instead? He was not family so that might be possible. If that happened, will he have the guts to tell Seungcheol? That all this time, his ‘happy family’ was nothing more than a façade? That his family was not-

 

Fuck.

 

FUCK! Why was he having all these dark thoughts? Was he actually wishing for the family to fall apart? Why was he so messed up?? What is wrong with him???

 

This was bad. This was really bad. Why did he agree to come? Why did he decided to follow his therapist’s advice when all this time he always ignored them? Why now?

 

Jeonghan pulled his knees up to his chest. He was so messed up. He didn’t deserve to be here. No wonder nobody wanted him.

 

He wanted to go home. He wanted to lock himself in his room where nobody could ever see him.

 

‘-mo, are you okay?’ Jeonghan froze at the voice of the woman. It couldn’t be. He shouldn’t be out here being pathetic and ruining the day. But it was already too late. She already saw him.

 

DAMNIT! He was useless!

 

‘I-’ Jeonghan jumped as he felt himself being enveloped by a warm embrace. He didn’t deserve this. He was a monster who wished for devastation to befall this family. He didn’t deserve her warmth.

 

‘I’m s-‘ He tried to apologize, but voice stuck in his throat. It was hard to breathe.

 

‘I’m sorry.’

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hannie had a mental breakdown T__T
> 
> This chapter really reveals Hannies mental problems right? He’s actually really depressed, and has social anxiety. He also have a slight self-hatred. But he’s good at pretending he’s not bothered by anything. He’s good at pretending he’s fine :(
> 
> Also, the reason why he got anxious around Coups’ family’s because he wants to be accepted. He was rejected once, and never got the chance to be a part of another family. But poor baby didn’t realize how desperate he is which is why he’s confused :( He thought he’s confident enough around strangers so realizing how nervous he was caused him to panic. T___T
> 
> Hannie just wants to be a part of a happy family T____T
> 
>  
> 
> On the bright side, Coups basically told his mom he just wants to see Jeonghan happy as if that was not a confession >:D Very naïve.
> 
> Andd… What do you think about Kang Haneul being Coups’ brother? I know it’s random but seriously, Coups’ dad suddenly reminded me of Haneul when I first saw him. And they both have this really distinct, teethy, gummy smile! I just can’t think of someone else who’d make better hyung!
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, I’m sorry for the long wait. I’m planning on taking the professional papers this year so I’ve been in a dilemma on writing the next chapter when I should be studying ^^;; I don’t wanna be on a hiatus because that’s dangerous (I tried that once, on my old account and completely lost the motivation to continue). So, until I sit for the exam, I’ll probably be updating once a month, or twice, depending on my motivation.
> 
> Now that that’s out of the way, thank you for those reading and commenting on this fic as usual! I know I’m not interacting with you guys like I used to, but I really appreciate all the comments and views. Also, I miss S.Coups.
> 
> Stay safe and wear your masks. Love you beautiful readers <3<3


	18. Chapter 18

Where was he? This was obviously not the usual hotel he would wake up in, the room looks cheap. Even the bed-

 

Ahh. Yeah.

 

Geojae.

 

He was in Geojae. With Seungcheol’s family.

 

He cried in front of the mother who obviously hates him. He must have been very pathetic. God, this was so humiliating. He knew coming here was a bad choice. Why in the world did he do it anyway? Well, served him right to even dare to dream of experiencing something he never deserve. Lesson learnt. He should go back to Seoul and live his life like he had been doing for the past five, six years – keeping his relationships shallow and meaningless.

 

Jeonghan looked outside through the window. It was already dusk; the sky was dyed with orange. The last ferry was five as he recalled, so going back tonight was not a choice. He should sleep the rest of the day off, get up early in the morning and leave. He swore he saw a bus stop on the way to the house. Hopefully the first bus is around 5 a.m., because he would not want to stumble upon the others on his way back. But, even if it isn’t, he would go out early anyway. Maybe walk around, anywhere but here would be nice.

 

‘You’re awake?’ Jeonghan cursed himself as he heard the familiar voice calling out to him. He could close his eyes and pretend to be asleep, but that would be more humiliating. He should pretend everything was okay, and endure this, like he usually would. He does it all the time, this should not be any different. ‘Yeah…’

 

‘Hungry?’ Jeonghan looked at the bedside clock signifying it was already past six. Which meant he had been sleeping for at least an hour, depending on when he lost consciousness. He could hear the others talking outside, and smell the lovely scent of homemade cooking, almost making him drool. But, he didn’t want to have to go out and face them. He would rather starve.

 

‘Uhn?’ he lifted his head as he felt Seungcheol’s hand on his shoulder. The alpha gave him his sweet smile, showing his dimple before suggesting, ‘Wanna go out for a breather?’

 

A breather? That sounds good. He needed a breather. He needed to get away. He needed space.

 

He needed to be away from these people.

 

He needed to be…

 

Alone.

 

Like always.

 

‘Sure.’ He answered softly, his voice hoarse. Biting his lower lip, Jeonghan got out of the bed, all ready to go out.

 

‘It’s almost sunset. We can view it not far from the house.’ Seungcheol explained, offering his hand which the omega chose to ignore. ‘If we wait a bit more, we’ll get to see stars.’

 

Jeonghan nodded, not actually caring about what was said. He just wanted to be out there, in the wide outdoor, ‘There’s no streetlight so we need to be careful.’

 

‘Okay.’

 

‘If you get lost you might end up in a drain.’

 

‘Got it.’

 

‘Here.’ Seungcheol again offered his hand, and this time, Jeonghan stared at his face, trying to read what he was thinking. His mother was obviously just outside the room, and she did not like him so why was the son doing this? To provoke her? Was him bringing Jeonghan to the trip a part of his rebellious plan for whatever reason? Was he being used?

 

‘So you don’t end up in a drain.’ The alpha laughed, as if answering his thoughts. Grabbing Jeonghan’s neglected right hand anyway, he dragged the man outside, casually calling out to his family to let them know he was going out. Jeonghan kept his head down, not feeling enthusiastic about appearing in front of the rest of the family hand-in-hand with Seungcheol. The sound of the woman’s voice actually made him jerked a bit, but what came out of her surprised him instead, ‘Don’t be too late or no dinner for you two.’

 

Jeonghan bowed at the two as a respectful gesture-

 

‘And don’t lose Jeonghan.’

 

His eyes turned wide. He might have heard that wrong. Was she worried about him? Why? Because she felt sorry for him? At how pathetic he was? Or was she just pretending in front of her son?

 

‘Jeonghan-yah, uri Cheol’s not good with roads so make sure to take note where you’re going.’ Mr. Choi advised, and behind them, he could hear a chuckle coming from Haneul. The older omega was on his computer, probably working. Another unsatisfied jab from his friend and Jeonghan was finally lead out. Seungcheol complained about how they always treat him like a child but the omega chose not to entertain him. More than that, he was interested in why they were pretending like nothing happened. Because he was sure he bawled his eyes until he passed out, obviously Seungcheol knows about it hence the stroll. Could it be that the mother didn’t tell the other two about what happened? If so, why?

 

‘Ahk-‘

 

‘Careful!’ Seungcheol hurriedly turned around and rubbed his head a few times. It took a while but Jeonghan finally realized he hit some branches right on his face. Now fully aware of his surroundings, he looked around, trying to figure out where they were heading. His first guess was that they were heading towards the beach but he doubt they would walk that far.

 

 

A park.

 

Seungcheol brought him to a park. On a hill. Where they supposedly able to see the sunset had they been there a few minutes earlier. Still, not caring about the missed opportunity, both the students sat, just staring at the remaining red before everything turns dark blue.

 

Everything was very silent.

 

The world was very silent.

 

The sound of cicadas could be heard, but that was just in the background, just like the sound of the wind brushing through the leaves.

 

He likes this. He needed this. Unlike the dead silence in his four walls on campus which suffocates him, he felt free. He felt like he exists. Even though he was alone, he was alive.

 

‘I once saw a shooting star here.’ Seungcheol’s low voice brought the younger male back to reality. Feeling his cheeks getting wet, Jeonghan quickly wiped it in hope that the other didn’t see it and laughed. Trying to pretend he was fine. Except he didn’t have to do that, because the other wasn’t looking. And even if he was, it was already dark his tears wouldn’t be as obvious. ‘Did you make a wish?’

 

‘I did. And let me tell you, it’s bullshit.’ The alpha annoyingly stated, ‘I asked for a new Nike shoes, never got them.’

 

That answer made the sad man laugh. He didn’t know what was so funny about it but he found that hilarious. To think that someone actually managed to see a shooting star and all he could think about was getting a lame pair of shoes. Such a waste of wish. ‘Hey, you try to think of something deep when that line came across you. It’s gone in a blink. For your information.’

 

‘But shoes?’

 

‘I was nine. Okay?’ Seungcheol eagerly defended himself, much to Jeonghan’s pleasure. He just love teasing the alpha. ‘What’d you wish for then?’

 

‘A family.’ He answered, honestly, without even thinking. Talking about his feelings was not normal, he would only tell them to his therapists, but he figured, why not. In a few days, he would break his friendship with the alpha anyways, and they would return to being strangers. This wouldn’t affect him at all. ‘Or my dad back. But I just told you my wish so now that’s impossible.’

 

‘Owh…’ there was a long pause. Seungcheol clearly did not know what to say. It didn’t matter, he was not expecting an answer. People lose interest once he starts getting emotional and burdensome. The guy was not any better. Everyone is the same – they only care about what benefits them.

 

‘That’s…’

 

‘It’s-‘

 

‘-not how shooting stars work. Don’t you ever read?’ Jeonghan looked at Seungcheol, his eyebrows burrowed. The latter was staring back at him, but it was already dark so he couldn’t make up his expression. ‘You make a wish when you see one, not before. It’s harder than it sounds. You get excited just seeing one and…’

 

He didn’t know how to take the man’s reaction. Was he ignoring his feelings? Should he feel offended? Because he wasn’t. But that could be because he was already numb to those kinds of treatments. Having his feelings ignored had already been a norm.

 

Maybe this was for the best. Because he would rather Seungcheol be like this instead of the pretentious bastards who ask invasive questions just to assure themselves that they are good people. Because he hates both those people, but he despises the latter more because they tend to make him feel guilty for hating them. At least, like this, he would have a legit reason to stop hanging out with the alpha. And the break would be clean.

 

‘I’m going back tomorrow.’ He interrupted Seungcheol’s talk. It didn’t matter, he was sure the other was just sputtering random thoughts like he would in texts. The other didn’t say anything so Jeonghan could not be sure what his reaction was. The silence was killing him. His heartbeat was so hard, he could hear it.

 

‘Okay.’

 

‘Ok-‘

 

‘I’ll go back with you.’ Seungcheol added, which caught the other off guard. He was not expecting that, not in any circumstances. ‘I brought you here so…’

 

Jeonghan again bit his lower lip. Seungcheol doing so would defeat the whole purpose of him going back. He wanted to be back because he would only ruin the whole trip. Of course, him feeling too ashamed to face the family was another factor, but mostly because he felt like a killjoy. ‘You stay. It’s your trip.’

 

‘It’s gonna be boring without you.’ Was the answer to which he couldn’t say anything. It didn’t make sense because the trip hasn’t even started yet. ‘We do it every year. I feel like we can do something else instead but you know, family tradition and stuff.’

 

Owh. Now that made sense. Truthfully, he didn’t see anything fun to do either while they were on their way to the house. A small island with limited attractions, having to come here every single year could be exhausting. He wondered why the Choi family chose to do it though. Even more, he wondered why Seungcheol agreed to come even though he hates it.

 

‘At least, I thought having you might be fun. Sorry I forced you to come.’

 

‘Heh.’ Jeonghan scoffed. So Seungcheol _was_ actually trying to comfort him. And though he usually hates people trying pathetically to make him feel better, he didn’t mind this. Because it was amusing, seeing Seungcheol awkwardly trying. He even apologized for no reason. A classic Seungcheol. ‘I just had a meltdown. That’s not fun.’

 

‘Yeah, eomma’s scary like that.’ He replied, and quickly added, ‘but she doesn’t hate you. Just thought you should know.’

 

‘Really?’ he sarcastically asked, his eyes straight at the dark sky. He didn’t care anymore because he already decided to get return home tomorrow. So the lady can hate him all she wants, or pretend she doesn’t in front of his son. Whatever makes her feel better. For all he cares, tonight would be the last time they ever lay eyes on each other.

 

From the edge of his eyes, he could see the alpha sucking his lips, maybe thinking hard. He imagined, the man doing so, because Seungcheol usually does that and it seemed that he was, based on the silence and his restless movements. And he was right, as the man added, ‘She’s worried about me. So it’s not you. It’s me.’

 

‘Are you breaking up with me?’

 

‘Wha-? What? No! I mea- N-no- we, we’re n-not-‘ Jeonghan burst out laughing at the confused reaction, right now really wanted to see his face. He thought the joke was obvious, but it seemed, it was too advanced for the other. Should he explain it? Seungcheol was so confused right now. Though, on second thought, he should leave him like this. As a revenge.

 

‘Your mom hates you?’ He decided to change the subject once he had his fun. Even though he made up his mind not to care, what Seungcheol just said really piqued his interest. The fact that his mother acted the way she did because of his friend, instead of him as he initially thought. Although it could be Seungcheol’s way of making him feel better, there was no harm in asking.

 

‘No… she’s just, she thought we’re seeing each other.’

 

‘And?’

 

‘And apparently I have bad taste.’

 

‘Owh, I’m bad taste?’ he asked, making it sound like he was offended. He wasn’t. None of those words hold anything to him anymore.

 

‘NO! I mean… Hurh…’ Seungcheol sighed, to which Jeonghan smiled bitterly. So his mother did actually hate him. And he thought Seungcheol’s mother would act differently than other adults he ever met. ‘You remember my ex? She’s the bad taste. And apparently I couldn’t see it.’

 

Jeonghan nodded, not wanting to say anything. This was the first time the alpha ever talked about his past lover which he always avoided. He was not sure why he thought about telling him about it, but since they had nothing to do right now, and he really didn’t want to go back, he figured, why not? ‘She played me. And I was too blind to see. So to speak.’

 

‘You’re too kind to say anything.’

 

‘I didn’t know.’

 

‘Nope. I’m pretty confident you knew but pretended not to.’ Jeonghan rubbed the other’s head, messing his hair to which Seungcheol pushed his hand away in frustration. Even though he always called his friend dumb, nobody is blind enough not to know when someone is playing with them, especially if their family is as protective as the Chois. He bet the mother said something and Seungcheol kept denying it until it was too obvious to do so any longer. ‘So, you’re saying your mother thought I’m one of those alpha-eaters?’

 

‘Aren’t you?’ Seungcheol asked, but he knew the man was trying to joke around since he ended his sentence with a breath. He didn’t mind it though, it was true. ‘I am.’

 

‘But I told her we’re not seeing each other. And that I’m bored. And appa’ll get someone to show off his skills to so he’ll have a good time. And she’ll have someone to interrogate and gossip with because we stopped answering her questions when we’re teenagers. Honestly, we’re all bored. So it’s nice that you’re here. The car ride’s already so much better than it usually is.’ Seungcheol paused abruptly, before chuckling to himself. He then took a deep breath and let it out, keeping his mouth shut. He knew he conveyed his points, the rest was up to Jeonghan. And so, they both sat, silently, just enjoying the silence and tranquility of each other.

 

Jeonghan hugged his legs. His cheeks felt warm and his mouth curved upwards involuntarily just remembering what the alpha had just told him. Why was he feeling tingly all of a sudden? It was not as if he wanted to stay anyway. And the alpha didn’t say he could either. But he still couldn’t help but feel all fuzzy and mushy. Which was weird.

 

Probably sensing the movement, and figuring it was a good time to break the silence, Seungcheol added, ‘Eomma’s actually feeling so bad about how she treated you, and you gave her a real scare. I think she’ll stop bothering you for the rest of the trip.’

 

‘Uhn.’

 

‘So…’ Seungcheol turned his face towards Jeonghan, bringing his legs up as well to match the other’s position. The place was really dark right now he couldn’t see anything. And he was starting to feel the creep. ‘Are we getting on the first ferry tomorrow? Or, you wanna try one more day? If we suck then I’ll ditch them for you and we’ll go have fun at Lotte World.’

 

‘Pfft. Lotte World.’ Jeonghan repeated teasingly, just to emphasize how bad the other option was. He would choose neither. But, maybe, staying a day wouldn’t hurt. If, Seungcheol keep his words and stay with him through the whole day. And if he wouldn’t have to deal with a grumpy omega lady.

 

‘Hrm…’ He pretended to think, ‘If dinner’s good, then… one more day?’

 

‘Assa!’ Seungcheol stood up from the bench and jumped excitedly, expressing his joy. The omega snickered at the antic but before he could say anything, the man grabbed his hand and pulled him right up. ‘Now let’s go before something weird appears.’

 

‘Yah! You pabo!’

 

*****

‘-we can see the house.’ Jeonghan licked his lips, involuntarily squeezing his grip on the alpha’s hand. Having to maneuver through the dark road proved to be a bit of a challenge and he almost lost his friend a few times. Seungcheol was not lying about the drain, he almost slipped and fell in one when he tried to go through a shortcut. It was a shallow one, and his friend held him just in time. Needless to say, they ended up holding hand back home. Not, that, he dislike it.

 

‘Yah you two brats! Walk faster!’ He heard Haneul calling and Seungcheol murmuring cursed words to his brother. That was fun to listen to because his alpha friend usually keeps a calm and polite demeanor in front of others. But his brother somehow always manage to trigger his childish side, a side Jeonghan never saw back in campus.

 

‘Food’s getting cold.’ The older male omega complained as he sat down on the dining chair, and as both the students came inside, Mr. Choi stood up from the living room and followed his first son’s footsteps. Bowing his head as a greeting, Jeonghan avoided eye contact with any of them. Despite feeling a little better than when he first woke up, he still felt awkward being around them.  Especially with Mrs. Choi. But, apparently the woman didn’t mind him at all as she called them to sit down while she brought the food to the table. He did find it sweet that Seungcheol helped her do so. Sitting across him, Haneul started to talk to him right away as if it was normal for his baby brother, an alpha, to do all the housework. Maybe it was, he wouldn’t know. Their family dynamic was not one he was used to.

 

‘So, Jeonghan, Cheol told you our itinerary tomorrow?’ Mr. Choi suddenly asked as they started to eat, slightly startling him as he was not expecting a casual conversation, especially coming from the main alpha with whom he hadn’t had any conversation with. Lifting his head to look at the man, he slowly shook his head left and right. That gesture caused Mrs. Choi to scold her son for not telling him an important detail of the trip, before she grumbled to herself. He could only look apologetically to his friend for causing the situation. ‘We usually get up early to visit the market, then breakfast, then we’ll go hiking to the lighthouse. Then lunch, after that, it’s free and easy.’

 

‘Cheol and I usually go to the beach.’ Haneul added but Jeonghan frowned slightly, an action which the others found interesting. ‘Cheol, didn’t tell you about hiking?’

 

Jeonghan looked over at the young alpha who stared back at him, cluelessly. He didn’t hear anything about hiking, he was only told they were going fishing. So he assumed they would be fishing for a whole week. Now that he thought about it, that sounded stupid. No wonder the list of things to bring was a bit elaborated. Sport shoes was definitely not suited for fishing. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. Even eomma can do it.’

 

‘That’s right Jeonghan-ah. It’s a very easy route.’ She gave him a smile, and the youngest omega nodded before quickly lowering his head, suddenly feeling shy. The woman kind of reminded him of the ahjummas at the shelter, the chatty ones who were also the caretakers of the children. Now feeling more comfortable eating, Jeonghan suddenly stopped his chopsticks and glared at his friend for a few seconds.

 

That few seconds was enough to catch the other’s attention. ‘What?’

 

‘I thought you said you never hiked.’

 

‘When did I say that?’ Seungcheol asked, before inserting a big piece of meat in to his mouth.

 

‘When you said you like to play with balls.’

 

‘Uhukk!!’ Seungcheol coughed violently, causing everyone to stop their meals halfway. Handing him his glass of water, Mr. Choi started to hit the man’s back to relief himself. Jeonghan could only stare, his mouth opened as the mother expressed her disgust while the brother laughed unapologetically. Feeling guilty for the possible misunderstanding he might have cause, he explained, ‘No, not that. He said he likes basketballs.’

 

‘Basketball!!’ Seungcheol repeated defensively as the others continued laughing at the absurd situation. Finally able to breath easy, he glared at Jeonghan, ‘And I said I never jungle trek!’

 

‘Same thing?’

 

‘No!’ Seungcheol denied, aggressively biting on his rice while Jeonghan sucked his lips to hold his laughter.

 

Teasing this man never cease to amuse him but doing so in front of his family who enjoys doing it as well?

 

Priceless.

 

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No cliffhangers! Yay!
> 
> I know the mom didn’t treat Hannie fairly the last chapter but she’s just trying to protect her son from another Woo Ri. Thankfully she’s sane enough to look past that and give Hannie another chance despite his bad past, thanks to Coups ;D
> 
> And I can say Coups handled the meltdown aftermath quite well. Imagine him panicking when it was happening and googled how to handle it with his mom! It’s good that Hannie trusts him enough to not push him away like he initially planned right? Also, Coups finally opened up about Woo Ri!! Yay! They’ll only get closer from now <3 Until…
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, do share me your thoughts on this chapter! It’ll be light for a while before the main event so there’s that *hints*
> 
> Thanks for always leaving me comments and kudos! I really appreciate it <3 I love you guys so much!!! <3<3


	19. Chapter 19

_‘How dare you run away yo-‘_

 

Jeonghan gasped, sitting upright, his body trying to run. Looking around the dark room, still in the midst of catching his breath, he noticed the figure moving on the other bed beside his – Haneul, probably bothered by the sudden noise. Wiping his face, noticing the wet sensation, he slowly lowered his knees before unveiling the blanket.

 

‘Heh.’ He scoffed, wondering why he even bothered checking. Of course he had a hard on, he never woken up from a nightmare without it. ‘Fuck this.’

 

Fuck. Fucking fuck! Jeonghan really wanted to scream, angry at the situation. He didn’t mind it happening anywhere else but why here? Why now? The last few days had been less than stressful, why was he still haunted by those horrible memories? And now, should he go and let off steam in the toilet? Shared by Seungcheol’s family? Should he just swallow his pride and do this?

 

Of course. He never has any dignity left in the first place. Not when he is this wet.

 

Fuck pride.

 

Getting up from the bed, his mind already numb, Jeonghan made his way to the bathroom, not caring if he stumbled upon one of the family members. It was already so late; nobody would be up. Opening the tap water, he let the shower fall down his body and stared at his hard member. Sometimes he wondered why he still keep it when all it ever caused him was pain and humiliation. He considered it more than one time, he wouldn’t need it as he is a male omega after all, and he will never end up with a beta lady as he is too dependent on alphas to be able to do so. Just one simple procedure and all these annoying ordeals would end. But alas, here he stood, too afraid to get through with it. Such a pathetic coward.

 

 

Jeonghan looked at the wall clock which was barely visible in the dark. He could make up one hand on 3 and the other on 10. It shouldn’t take a genius to figure out what time it was. He considered the option to walk around the vicinity, waiting for sunrise, or get back to sleep. Honestly, he didn’t want to get back to sleep. Because there was just this bad feeling in his gut. That he would still see that nightmare. What triggered it was still unknown, as most of his other ones but as he was not in a situation where he would even think about his past, it still bothered him. Could it be something they said during the day? Or did he stumble upon somebody who looked like one of those disgusting alphas? He did, see a lot of ahjusshis during their whole stay…

 

Now that he thought about it, he remembered seeing something on his phone when he was awoken momentarily from the vibration…

 

…owh shit.

 

Jeonghan rushed back inside and grabbed his phone, trying not to wake his roommate. Inwardly praying that it was just a fragment of his imagination, he took a deep breath and unlocked it.

 

_2 missed calls from Det. Young_

_5 new messages from Det. Young_

_2 new messages from Ahjusshi_

 

So he was not dreaming. He did get a call from the detective, one of the officers in charge of his case. Even after it ended, the man still decided to keep watch over Jeonghan so they remained close until today. That being said, unread messages or missed calls usually does not mean anything being merely friendly updates, but 2 missed calls and a few messages at night seemed a bit worrisome. It would usually be one or the other. It also didn’t help that he just had a nightmare which still very much affected him right now. All in all, he was reluctant to read the message. Biting his lips, Jeonghan tapped on the notification.

 

_Jeonghan-ah, how are you? – Det. Young_

_I tried to call but you seem busy. I’ll just let you know by text. – Det. Young_

_His parole plea got rejected again. – Det. Young_

_I know you’ve been worried since you turned 20 but he’s not going anywhere. We’ll make sure of it. So don’t worry Jeonghan-ah. – Det. Young_

_Come show your face when you’re free. – Det. Young_

 

The bastard thought his would be granted parole? What a laugh. Even after all these years, he should really just learn his lesson and rot in prison for the rest of his life. Jeonghan didn’t need to open the other messages from Ahjusshi, the shelter owner, to know what was written. And so he didn’t, opting to do so in the morning when he would reply as well. Because the old man would know he had his nightmare and would start to worry if he do it now.

 

Letting his phone fall on the floor, the tired omega walked out of the room and looked out the window. It was really dark. Should he take a walk to clear his mind? Usually when he gets those kinds of messages or nightmares, he would go out dancing and fucking to forget, but that was not possible right now. Should he be a normal person and try to lose himself in nature? How do people do that? Scare themselves while walking? That seemed possible since he wouldn’t be able to remember anything about that bastard when he is scared for his life. But, then again, that was how the man always made him feel, plus the humiliating aftermath so that option didn’t seemed better.

 

Gosh, he wished he was back in Seoul so he can find some good alpha to make him forget. He wondered if there was anybody on the island who would sleep with him? He could just tell the family he had to go back early and stay with whoever he met for a while.

 

Turning his head, Jeonghan sighed as he looked over at the sleeping figure on the sofa. Nobody would say anything if he ditches them, but he didn’t really want to. He wanted to stay until the rest of the trip. Of course, there were times he felt awkward and out of place, not to mention the mother still felt distance but she and the rest of the family always tried their best not to exclude him. Sometimes they forget he exists, but at least one of them would remember after a while, especially Seungcheol, so he was never left alone for a long time. Not that he mind being forgotten, but them taking him into consideration felt… new.

 

It was not annoying. They were not being overly cautious, and it was not as if nobody ever treated him that way since there was still his two friends who basically didn’t know who he was in the first place to treat him different.

 

But still…

 

He didn’t know how to explain it. This new feeling.

 

Unlike both his friends, the family knew about him. They obviously knew about his panic attacks since he had a breakdown in literally the first few hours after they met each other. And yet, they did not care. They didn’t treat him as Yoon Jeonghan the child abuse survivor, nor the infamous, notorious omega, but as Yoon Jeonghan, Seungcheol’s friend. No, they treat him even better. That, he knew because his alpha friend complained about it once.

 

The family saw him as a basic city guy who never went fishing or hiking. The guy who never bought fresh squid or the kid who didn’t know how to haggle. They called him ‘young master’ because of how clueless he was in doing a lot of things. But despite them laughing at him for his lack of experience, they laugh it in his face, then offer to teach him. There were no sympathetic apologies, or unnecessary hospitality, just them teaching him how to do things, and telling him how funny he was when he failed. Except for his two friends, nobody ever do that to him. They either treat him too preciously, afraid to break him, or too harshly, as he is already broken. They didn’t mind offending him, and Jeonghan found himself able to let it slide without getting hurt. Not once did he felt like getting his revenge, or retort back. Even after getting teased so badly.

 

And this was the first. He couldn’t explain why.

 

But he liked it.

 

Jeonghan liked feeling this way.

 

He didn’t feel inferior being the clueless, dumb kid that needs to be taught.

 

He didn’t feel suffocated knowing how the family constantly look over everything he did, ready to fix things in case he messed up.

 

He definitely liked being the reason Seungcheol whines as he was forced to take care of Jeonghan.

 

And so, despite the bad news, the nightmare and his desperation to escape, he wanted to stay. Even for a bit more.

 

Walking towards the couch, Jeonghan slowly brought the two-seater slightly closer to where Seungcheol was sleeping. He forgot the fact that his friend is an alpha. Which meant, he didn’t need to find some random alpha to fuck in the first place. Although he would not have sex with Seungcheol, maybe, he wouldn’t have to. Maybe, he only needed to be near an alpha. Although he doubts not having sex would have the same affect on his nightmare, this could be a quick fix. At least, he would get to sleep for a few more hours before any bad dreams would even get the chance to appear.

 

Jeonghan crouched on the sofa, taking on cushion and positioned it beneath his head as a pillow. Taking a deep breath, enjoying Seungcheol’s familiar scent, he let himself relax.

 

This should work. He should feel relaxed.

 

…maybe if he sucked in more of Seungcheol’s scent, he would feel better.

 

…maybe just a little more…

 

‘Tsk.’ Jeonghan opened his eyes and frowned. Turning his body to his side, trying to find a comfortable position, he stared at the man near him. The alpha’s hand was hanging from the edge very awkwardly. Jeonghan bit his lips, thinking.

 

Maybe he needed the touch after all. Placing his hand on the other’s, he slightly grabbed it and closed his eyes, wishing he would finally have a good night sleep.

 

And soon enough, he did.

 

*****

'Hey,’ Seungcheol poked the omega curled in a ball on the sofa to wake him up. It was a surprise seeing the man outside instead of on the bed, but he knew better than to ask. Haneul mentioned how Jeonghan sometimes had nightmares, he figured maybe last night was worse than normal.

 

It seemed, nightmares and panic attacks are not uncommon for someone with PTSD, at least, based on the many forum he accessed since seeing the omega’s attack that first day. And he knew that Jeonghan didn’t like people asking, so the family decided not to pry. They did, search for the nearest psychiatrist in case anything serious were to happen, but so far so good. One more day to go, and they would be back in Seoul where Jeonghan could get all the help he needed. For now, they could only make sure the trip is enjoyable enough so such episode would not happen again. But, it was not as if they had to force themselves to do so because like he hoped, his omega friend was actually a delightful travel companion.

 

‘You’re up?’ Jeonghan asked as he rubbed his eyes a few times before yawning. Smiling at the cute antic, the alpha passed the man his hair tie, ‘Your bed hair is kinda ugly. Like a lion.’

 

‘You don’t look so pretty yourself.’ Jeonghan retorted and held up both his hands, wanting to be lifted. A few seconds passed with both the young adults staring at each other before Jeonghan pouted to act cute. Then the alpha turned his back right after he distorted his face in annoyance.

 

‘Go wash your face.’

 

*****

‘Watcha doing?’ Jeonghan sat down on the bench, bringing his plate of barbecued meat. He was tasked with cooking the meat since it was his first time, while Mr. Choi look after the flame. Now finally done with more than half of the raw food, he was finally allowed to rest. Turning his head slightly to look at the other male, Seungcheol showed him a video, his face obviously trying to hold in his laughter.

 

‘What?’

 

 _‘Arghh what? Hel-!’‘Yaah! Move away!’_ Jeonghan stared at the recording of him panicking. It was taken not long after the charcoal finally caught fire and he put on the first few pieces of chicken. He ran out of patience due to the small heat and poured whiskey on the fire causing it to burst into flames a few seconds. Needless to say, he was asked to only touch the food, and nothing more. Now hearing Seungcheol laughing, he demanded the guy to delete it.

 

Seungcheol refused, ‘I sent it to Joshua. He said you suck.’

 

‘Bet he can’t light one either.’

 

‘He’s American. I bet he can.’ Seungcheol argued to which Jeonghan could only stare at him in discontent. ‘But the whiskey chicken tasted good. You should try- owh wait. Yeah sorry I guess I ate it all. You should make them again.’ He teased again, finding the omega’s speechless defeat amusing. Since the start of the trip, the only person at the end of the teasing was him, be it from Haneul or Jeonghan. So this win felt really good. He wanted to enjoy this moment.

 

He should memorialize this.

 

Instagram.

 

As soon as Jeonghan left him to play some games with Haneul and Mr. Choi, Seungcheol quickly search for a few more recordings he had of the younger male’s failure. He could have gotten more had he been more prepared for it, but Jeonghan tend to do so when he is unsupervised so most of the time they would only realized it when it was too late and would be too occupied with helping or laughing to even remember recording it.

 

Finding at least two more obvious ones, he started writing his caption before remembering one important thing – Taeyong. The man was not fond of Jeonghan due to their history and even went as far as asking him to stay away from the omega. Granted they were not that close anymore, but should he really post it? Would he appear to be bragging about it considering he would post a few videos of them on a holiday? Owh, now that he thought about it, there was his friends from high school too. He told them he wasn’t close to Jeonghan literally a few weeks ago. Yeah, this would be weird.

 

But he really wanted to post those videos. Those precious funny videos.

 

Maybe he should post it in his story instead. And he can paste a sticker on the omega’s face.

 

Owh. He can post some really weird faces on the omega’s!

 

Satisfied with his brilliant idea, he proceeded to edit the videos to his liking. Since he couldn’t tag Jeonghan without making it obvious, he decided to send it to him directly instead.  He wondered how long it takes for his friend to notice because he knew the man seldom open his DMs due to the abundant messages from suitors. If there is no reaction until tomorrow, he would show it directly. For now, he was really curious about Jeonghan’s reaction.

 

*****

There was no reaction. Haneul got Jeonghan half drunk so he went to sleep first, leaving him to clean up the mess since he didn’t help cooking. Now done cleaning outside, he looked over at the kitchen counter to see everything already washed by his brother. With everything done, he finally laid down on the sofa and brought out his phone.

 

There was a bunch of new messages on Instagram. Excited to read other people’s reaction, he double tap the notification and proceeded to open each messages. As he hoped, his friends really enjoyed the short videos as well. Most of them were curious of the clumsy male, but surprisingly, some of them actually asked if the man in the video was Jeonghan. He was sure to cover the man’s face well.

 

Or did he?

 

Checking the three videos, Seungcheol let out a long breath as he confirmed once again that he did.

 

So… how did they know? Did they recognize Jeonghan from his voice? There was no denying the omega had a unique voice but that would be a wild guess considering some people who asked didn’t even know he knew Jeonghan in the first place. This was creepy.

 

Ignoring the messages, not wanting to lie to deny it, he swiped down to look at the other few notifications.

 

‘Woo-‘ Seungcheol sat up, not believing what he just saw. His ex-lover liked one of his post. Furrowing his eyebrows, figuring his was having some sort of delusion, he once again read the name of the user. He was not mistaken. She liked his post. This was the first interaction she started since their break. Clicking the notification, curious of the picture, he was directed to his notification page. And there was no such ‘like’ from the female omega in any of his posts.

 

‘Huh?’ He uttered, confused. He did receive the notification, and yet, there was no such action. Was there a bug? If then, why her?

 

Shaking his head, Seungcheol laid down again. He shouldn’t let this get to him and have his hope up. They were done, why was he getting unnecessarily excited? She was such a bad girlfriend; he should not let himself be swayed again. Deciding to take his mind out of what just happened, he opened the videos he posted. Jeonghan dumb actions were funny as it is, but his edits made the videos even better.

 

Laughing at his own work, he put his phone down and closed his eyes. He really should rest. They have a long journey tomorrow.

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys it’s been a while! I’m back!
> 
>  
> 
> This update is shorter than usual but… This is actually when the Jeongcheol couple you read from CTLF and Claimed started to be the way they are ^^ Hannie who had been antisocial and pessimistic really starts to develop his love for attention and teasing during this trip, and Coups who would usually mind his own business starts to pay more attention to Hannie because all the trouble he gets himself into when left along :3
> 
> Jeonghan starts making trouble because he thinks it’s fun seeing the family worry over him and try to fix things for him. He’s unaware that what he actually like, is knowing that he has people he can depend on. Obviously, he has the people at the shelter, but he never allowed himself to be comfortable enough to feel any connection with them due to his weird situation (where he’s dragged around to give speeches and the shelter staff could only act as his manager/caretakers)
> 
> By the way, Coups’ friends knew the man was Jeonghan because Coups posted some other videos, and he failed to notice Jeonghan’s in it. Such a careless alpha XD
> 
> And oooohhhh~~~~ some hints of drama that’s to come~~ OHOHOOO!
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, quick update on my life. I’ve been working from home since mid-March and I’m just gonna say it, it sucks. Home is supposed to be where I relax, and the only time I write, at home, is for my fics. But ever since I have to use the computer all day at home for work, I immediately refuse to touch the computer once I’m done for the day. And in turn, I sleep to relax. I also found it hard to even study for the professional’s exam since working from home (don’t believe that, that’s just an excuse for my laziness :D)
> 
> The second wave of Covid-19 is really serious. Japan’s situation may seem better than other countries but I assure you, that’s just because they don’t do mass screenings. In reality, it’s as bad if not worse. They take no initiatives to do lockdowns. I don’t really know how to feel about this. On one hand, I like the freedom, on the other, there’s still no countermeasures taken so there’s no clear prediction on when it is actually safe to resume our daily lives without any worries.
> 
> I hope each and one of you readers are safe. Please listen to your government to help stop the spread of this pandemic. I pray for all your health and wellbeing. Stay safe so we can continue reading and writing fics, and STAN SEVENTEEN UNTIL THEY ARE OLD AND WRINKLY!
> 
>  
> 
> By the way, I wrote a Meanie oneshot. Feel free to check it out and leave comments. I love you all my dearest <3<3


	20. Chapter 20

The car finally pulled into a stop and the rest of the family excluding Seungcheol opened their doors. Jeonghan turned his head to the right, studying the red brick house which was the same as every other building on the street, and yet seemed lovely with the potted plants lined up on their gates and on the veranda. He didn’t know there was such place with many houses in Seoul before, except for the rich neighbourhood. Granted, the Chois live further north so the houses might be cheaper.

 

‘Come inside.’ Haneul’s voice called, and Jeonghan nodded his head before stepping out. The campus is back at the central but they decided to first get back home before changing drivers to send Jeonghan back. He knew the plan, and yet, it didn’t occur to him that they would invite him in. For some reason he thought Seungcheol would drop his family and stuff and Haneul would then send him straight to the campus. Because people just do not invite strangers into their home.

 

Holding on to his bag, Jeonghan waited outside, hesitant to proceed. The door was opened, he heard them asking him to sit but since they didn’t realize he was not there, it was safe to assume they were busy putting their bags in their rooms. He could see the living room with a three-seater and a single couch, fitting exactly four people, facing the television, and in front is a tiny coffee table, and the dining room also with four chairs. There were pictures of both Haneul and Seungcheol framed on the wall heading up towards the second floor. This is definitely the Choi’s house.

 

‘What’re you doing? Go inside.’ Seungcheol called, surprising him as he flinched a bit. Bowing a little, he held out his right arm and offered the owner to lead instead, an action that earned him a silly chuckle. Following the man, he closed the door and took out one of the dining chairs to sit. ‘Sit on the couch, silly. Let’s relax for a while.’ The alpha suggested and he found himself complying. He was about to think about where to sit before Seungcheol crashed himself on the soft cushion and laid on his side. That left the one spot beside his head, and the single couch open. But, the latter is obviously for the man of the house. So, Jeonghan quietly take his position, careful not to sit on the other’s head. ‘You’re tired?’

 

‘Five-hour drive’s not easy.’ Seungcheol answered, exhausted. He then took a deep breath before closing his eyes, ready to sleep. Jeonghan offered him a smile which went unnoticed and turned his head upwards, just staring at the interior of the house. He heard noises upstairs and then footsteps getting louder signifying someone was getting down. As no one had yet to talk to him, he continued looking around, analyzing the whole living room.

 

Unlike their guesthouse in Geoje, there was a few things left scattered around. Although still neat and organized, this is definitely not one of the model houses he would see in dramas or furniture catalogs. DVDs stacked underneath the television set, some documents and magazines under the coffee table, chargers coming out of one of the drawers, it gave him some sense of familiarity yet, strange feeling. The sofas too, are worn out unlike the one at the bar owner’s house but comfortable. And the smell… the smell of the Chois. Just like the smell of Seungcheol’s pillow…

 

‘Jeonghan-ah. You can watch TV if you want. Just make yourself comfortable.’ Mrs. Choi voice called out to him and Jeonghan turned his head towards the kitchen to see her putting some things inside one of the drawers. It was impressive, how they unpacked things so quickly. He would usually leave his stuff in the bag and take it out when he needs them. Just like how he still has some of his things inside his bag when he first moved out of the dorm. ‘You hungry? Where’s Cheol?’

 

‘Ah, no. It’s fine.’ He answered the first question before looking back at the sleeping alpha whose head somehow made it onto his lap without him realizing. Seungcheol was already fast asleep. Glancing at the old lady who was still organizing the kitchen, he told her about her son. She smiled and nodded without looking back, ‘He must be tired. You too, right?’

 

‘A bit. Yeah.’

 

‘Rest here for a while.’ Jeonghan hummed as a reply, his hand tracing the alpha’s thick eyebrows out of boredom. Seungcheol really has pretty eyelashes, quiet the opposite of Haneul’s. It was really weird to know that the older brother is an omega since he could really pass for an alpha. The man must have worked really hard to gain muscles as it is harder for omegas to do so. Jeonghan had been trying for a while, trying to look stronger but he only managed to bulk up a little on his biceps. And now, seeing this pretty face attached to his muscular body, he felt a bit jealous. Seungcheol has nice skin too. Porcelain. Smooth. His lips are red and full.

 

‘Huh?!’ Seungcheol suddenly opened his eyes and the omega quickly removed his hand. The former sat up, looking around a few times before noticing Jeonghan besides him. The sudden movement managed to catch his mother’s eyes and she stated, ‘You’re awake.’

 

‘Yeah.’ He uttered softly, and turned towards the omega, ‘How long was I out?’

 

‘A few minutes.’

 

Taking a long breath, Seungcheol nodded and let himself relax back on the couch. He then grabbed the remote and turned on the television before passing it to Jeonghan. After telling him which button to press, he got up and went to the kitchen to talk to his mother. ‘Jeonghan-ah, wanna stay for dinner?’

 

Jeonghan looked around for a clock. It was only 3 pm. It would be a while before dinner, and he didn’t know what to do while waiting. He was not comfortable being here either. What if the whole family decided to watch a movie? He would be sitting on someone else’s spot. And dinner too, where would he sit? He wouldn’t want to interrupt their established sitting arrangement. ‘I-uh, I don’t wanna intrude-‘

 

‘Nonsense. You’re our guest.’ Mr. Choi cut him halfway, already making his way down. Jeonghan looked over, now feeling a bit nervous. Once Haneul come downstairs, his sitting on the couch would not be acceptable. Thinking quickly, he uttered, ‘I already have dinner plans.’

 

‘Owh?’ the woman responded before a pause, ‘You need to go back soon?’ A question to which he answered with a yes. She then told her son to call Haneul to drive him back, but Jeonghan refused. They were already in Seoul, he could just take a bus to go back to campus. The suggestion was useless though, as they insisted on driving him back. And probably thinking he was not comfortable having Haneul drive him, Seungcheol offered to do so instead, saying he didn’t mind. Despite Jeonghan knowing how exhausted he was.

 

Well Jeonghan minded. It felt like he was forcing Seungcheol. Which means he felt like the alpha’s doing him a favor. And he dislikes receiving favors.

*****

 

‘And that’s the old bookshop. I still dunno how it survived all these years.’ Seungcheol pointed towards a small bookshop which he passed by quiet a lot few years back. It was on the way from his house to school. He never cared to enter because the books sold there are either old or unknown. Jeonghan seemed interested, and knowing how the man likes literature, he started decelerating, ‘Wanna take a look?’

 

‘Not really.’ Jeonghan answered. Nodding, Seungcheol continued driving slowly while observing the area. He had been through the alley hundreds, thousands of times but he never actually paid attention to the shops here. This was the old area only the residents come to buy some essentials. Interestingly, there were a few antique shops as well. But it looked so old and rundown. He wonder-

 

…Woo Ri.

 

The alpha gripped the stirring wheel, his heart stopped for a few seconds as their eyes interlocked with each other. Shifting his gaze towards the road, he pushed the gear further, pretending not to see her. He could hear Jeonghan a bit taken aback by the sudden change of speed but he didn’t say anything about it, which he appreciated. Glancing at the side-mirror, he ensured the woman was no longer in sight before catching his breath.

 

It was the summer holidays. Of course she would be back home.

 

He just, didn’t think they would actually meet randomly on the street. What were the chances?

*****

 

The traffic light turned red and Seungcheol stopped, looking around while humming to the song. Jeonghan leaned his head back, staring outside towards the familiar view. In a few more minutes, the café where the engineer student work at would be seen, and from there, it would be about twenty minutes to campus. Turning his head to look at the driver, his hair messy and his shirt big, it was actually a bit hard to imagine him looking good, even in his café uniform. But he usually is. ‘What?’

 

‘Nothing Just wondering bout stuff.’ He answered earnestly and continued enjoying the other singing along the radio. Seungcheol really knows a lot of old songs.

 

Another stop.

 

‘You sure you wanna go back to campus?’ The alpha suddenly asked, not even turning his head. It was just a casual conversation, Jeonghan knew the man just wanted to talk. But he really didn’t see the point of asking, ‘Why do you even ask?’ he scoffed, and noticed Seungcheol hitting his head as if he just realized something. ‘Should I stay at some random alpha’s house?’

 

‘No-, I mean, didn’t you stay in the omega house all this time?’

 

‘That’s not my house. I moved out.’ He answered, without any emotion. He was not offended with the question, in fact, he didn’t mind as he was only stating the fact. He grown out of the shelter, and he had no other reason to be there. He was already capable of taking care of himself. Jeonghan glanced at the other slightly, noticing how awkward the man had become. Pulling his lips to force a small smile, his hand traveled towards the small lever of the glove compartment and without thinking further, he pulled it. It opened. And Jeonghan started shuffling through what was inside. ‘I’m gonna move to a big house one day. The dorm’s a good way to save.’

 

Seungcheol turned his head to the right and chuckled, amused at the omega who was wearing his mother’s lame sunglasses. Relieved that the man was not offended, he decided to play around. ‘How big?’

 

‘An apartment on the top floor, like a suite.’

 

‘Heol, you need to be really rich.’

 

‘I will be. People just can’t get enough of me they’ll buy anything I write.’ Jeonghan joked, inwardly hoping it was true. He received a lot from his two books, but that was because he was selling his private sex life. In time, people will get tired of him, then they would think the same about his future works. Or they would expect him to write another impactful piece, and all Jeonghan could offer would be the list of famous people his slept with and their kinks. After all, they did not support him because they care. They buy his book because they are secretly sadistic.

 

Taking out all the papers from the compartment, he found a CD. It was scratched and there was nothing written on it. Curious, he inserted it in the player, only to get the notification that it was unplayable. Sighing as he returned it, he questioned, ‘What bout you? You wanna live with your parents?’

 

‘I want a house. With a backyard.’ Seungcheol explained his ideal home. Hearing that fantasy, Jeonghan could not help but think that the man was nothing but a hopeless romantic. His dreams are only about having a family, with a house in some rural village, surrounded by nature… The only way he was ever going to achieve that is if work his ass off until his late-30s, then retire in a countryside. Then bond with a young, sweet female omega and have sex until he gets all three children, in order of the gender he wanted. Such an innocent mind. There was, a hint of sadness in his voice which Jeonghan didn’t expect. But it wasn’t a surprise either, considering the man was heartbroken by his childhood sweetheart.

 

Humming as a response to the man’s imagination, the omega started to ponder upon the subject. Having a family was never in his plan. He could never imagine himself with a child, be it as a father or the mother. He was not mentally stable enough to care for the little ones. The also unstable income he would make as an author might not be enough to support his children. It was an impossible dream for him, which was why he never care to think about it.

 

Deciding not to complicate his mind any longer, Jeonghan turned his attention towards his hand. While returning everything he took out back to their places, Jeonghan noticed a shiny red piece of metal. He grabbed it an examined the appearance, it looked familiar and yet, a bit odd. It was an army knife but, with a button? Wha-

 

‘Yah don’t push-!’

 

‘AAH!’ Jeonghan threw it away instinctively as something sprang up straight towards him. He swore his heart fell out of his chest; his whole body felt shivers. Beside him, Seungcheol also breathed heavily, seemingly shocked but kept his posture as he was driving. ‘Jeonghan-ah, you okay?’

 

Jeonghan gulped and stared at the slightly visible housing. ‘Yah! Are you a thug? Why are you carrying a weapon? Isn’t it illegal??’ He sputtered endlessly as he was finally calm enough. Crouching a bit as he tried to take the knife back, he heard the owner mumbled about it not being dangerous. Now with it in his hand, Jeonghan realized the screwdriver was the one which sprang out. Still curious, he pressed the button again, hoping something else would appear but to his disappointment, nothing did. He then put the screwdriver back inside, before pushing the button again, and repeat. ‘Just why? Why screwdriver?’

 

Seungcheol turned to him for a moment and raised both his shoulders. ‘Some dude at Kingsmen just offered it to me and I thought why not? It’s not a knife or anything. There’s actually two screwdrivers. The other one you need to pull out.’

 

The long-haired male did as instructed and confirmed the statement. He did find it interesting that there was a button. He never seen an army knife with a button before, granted he never bothered searching about it. Could it be a new design? ‘The guy said he made it. I dunno.’

 

‘Weird.’

 

‘Yeah. Lotsa weird people there. Some are crazy. Like, really crazy.’

 

‘You think he’s going around with the same thing filled with knives? He could be switching all the parts-‘ Jeonghan held his tongue when he realized how scary the thought was. Looking at Seungcheol, he could see the man turned pale as well. However, before he could comment further, the alpha quickly added, ‘Never saw him again though. But, now you know why I don’t allow you there.’

 

‘Not even thinking bout it. You can go get yourself killed.’ Jeonghan retorted, still playing with the device. Finding no naked screw, he suddenly remembered his desk being out of balance, and the bookcase moving slightly. And the window lever. Gosh, suddenly everything was wrong in his dorm room. Heck, the door squeaks a little. Maybe a little screwdriving could fix it. ‘You need this?’

 

‘Nope.’

 

‘I’m borrowing it.’ He put it inside his bag and smiled at Seungcheol who was now entering the gate to campus. The man told him to have it as he didn’t need it so Jeonghan shamelessly took out some things from the compartment and started doing the same thing. Only, Seungcheol did not entertain him again.

 

 

‘You sure you wanna return now?’ For the second time, the alpha asked and Jeonghan stared at the man, trying to figure out the reason for the question. Why was he so adamant about not letting him go back to his room? They were already in front of his dormitory. Squinting his eyes, he moved closer to Seungcheol, ‘You wanna spend another night with me?’

 

‘Eat.’ The man answered, as he pushed Jeonghan’s face away from his. Laughing, enjoying how red the man had become, he leaned back towards the seat. ‘You could’ve asked when we’re outside. Pabo.’

 

‘I’m gonna drive back alone and I’m hungry.’

 

‘And?’

 

 

‘Don’t you think you should at least keep me company?’ Jeonghan scoffed at the childish, lonely plea. Had it come from another alpha, he would not waste a second more before leaving the undeserving man. But this was the guy who just sent him back even though he was exhausted. ‘Also, you don’t actually have any dinner plans right?’

 

Jeonghan lifted his eyebrows, accusing the alpha of distrust. With the man still keeping his insistent, poker face, the former gave up, ‘Fine. Also, I’m paying for your food so shut your mouth.’

*****

 

Jeonghan couldn’t help but feel like déjà vu when he waved his hand towards the alpha in the driver seat. Waiting for the car to disappear, he then stared at the lonely gate of the omega dorm. The security guard was there at her post despite there being nobody inside. Showing his card just in case, he proceeded to enter the large building.

 

It was dark. And silent. And big. And empty.

 

Dropping his bag on the floor, Jeonghan turned around and made his way towards the entrance again.

*****

 

He fell asleep. What time was it?

 

Seungcheol rubbed his eyes as he look around to find a clock, finding himself unable to go back to sleep. He did, take a long nap the moment he reached his house, even skipping dinner so now he felt fully rested. Looking outside, he noticed the dark sky. It was almost three. It was too early to start his day and yet, his brain was refreshed.

 

He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Maybe he should work out. It had been a while. Deciding to go on a jog in an hour, the young alpha searched for his phone around before realizing it was no where near. He got up and went down, finding it uncharged on the coffee table. The charger was just nearby so he plugged it in and laid on the couch, turning the phone on once the battery was enough to do so. It took a while before his network refreshes so in the meantime, Seungcheol opened Youtube to watch some funny videos. Clicking on the ones on cats, the alpha almost dropped his phone.

 

Woo Ri left a comment on his Instagram. And he was not mistaken this time.

_The place looks really good! Haneul-oppa’s as handsome as ever!_

 

Seungcheol stared at the comment, uneasy at how casual it sounded. As if there was nothing wrong between them. He knew their accidental encounter was not comfortable, he knew she thought the same hence the message. Just like old friends would do to each other. But it was not appropriate, because they were not mere friends. And they did not end because of distance. She pushed him out. No excuse, no apologies, just silence.

 

As if he never mattered. As if he never existed.

 

Closing the application and throwing his phone on the carpet, Seungcheol turned to face the television. Outside was still dark, but he needed to clear his head. But, outside was where he walked around with the female omega thousands of times when they were together. This was their spot.

 

Furrowing his eyebrows, Seungcheol got up and searched for the car keys. He would jog around Han river. It is far, but it was not as if he was out of time. Quickly changing into his shorts and tracksuits, Seungcheol filled his bottle with filtered water before taking his phone and entered the car. He then turned on the navigation for Han river, and after doing a bit of calculation and aiming to watch the sunrise, he started then engine.

_Bzz_. A notification came which confused the alpha. It was so early in the morning. Who would be sending him a message? Sliding the screen down, he lifted his eyebrows in confusion.

_What’re you doing? - Jeonghan-ie_

 

It was still early morning. Why was the man giving him a message? Was he still awake? Or-

 

‘Ahh…’ Seungcheol bit his upper lip as he remembered the last time this happened. Why it happened. And he was still not fond of the memory, especially after what just happened with his ex-lover today. To think that it hadn’t even been a day since they got back from the island, Jeonghan must have been really desperate to sleep with someone. Smirking to himself, the man decided to ignore the message as he finally reversed the car, ready to get to his destination and clear his head. From both the omegas.

 

…wait.

 

Jeonghan…

 

Was he having a nightmare instead? There was no way anybody would be having sex until this late, or early, no matter how sexually active or desperate they were. Was he awoken by one of his nightmares? He remembered how Jeonghan ended up sleeping on the couch with him last night…

 

Stopping at one of the red lights, Seungcheol pulled out his phone from the holder and started to type,

_I’m going out to jog_

_Slept for a whole day, now I can’t sleep. LOL_

_You-_ He deleted the word, hesitating. Although he was curious if the omega was fine, he didn’t want the man to feel burdened by his question. It didn’t take a genius to know how Jeonghan hated being asked questions about his trauma. But, he was worried. Because he also knows how the man easily gets himself in trouble. Ignoring the green light as there were no cars except himself, he took a deep breath and continued to ask.

_You okay?_

 

A few minutes passed without any reply. Regretting his decision, Seungcheol sighed before proceeding with his journey. Now he felt he needed the run more than ever. Jeonghan must really be pissed right now.

_It’s too quiet - Jeonghan-ie_

_Place feels haunted - Jeonghan-ie_

_It’s your fault - Jeonghan-ie_

_You and your stupid ghost stories - Jeonghan-ie_

 

Seungcheol burst out laughing at the chain of random replies from the other. It was not really funny, it was just unexpected. He didn’t expect the man to play a joke on him. He expected the opposite. Now almost nearing halfway to the river, he responded,

_You should get some sleep :)_

_Ghosts aren’t real_

_Unless…_ he wanted to add just to tease, but decided against it because he knew well the man needed the rest. It came up on the few pages he opened when he did his research on PTSD that people usually have trouble sleeping and it was obvious Jeonghan does too, just based on the sleeping pills he brought along to Geoje.

_Good night_

_Or good morning_

 

He grinned at the light joke as he placed the phone back on the handle. He was already near the river, so this was a good time to end the conversation. Hopefully the man would now try to sleep. The phone vibrated but the alpha continued driving without a glance. He knew what the man was going to say anyway.

_You think your words can make the place not haunted? - Jeonghan-ie_

_Who do you think you are? Shaman? - Jeonghan-ie_

 

Seungcheol smiled at the sassy reply. He took it back, he didn’t know what Jeonghan was going to throw at him. He never did. Giving it a few thoughts, he pushed the record button and sent a voice message instead.

_Wanna come jog with me?_

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHOHOHO!! Hi guys!! <3<3 I wrote a long chapter. Aren’t I good? *grins proudly*
> 
> That’s some really good Jeongcheol ending right there :3 And, I’m actually really excited to write the next chapter cus there’ll be a really cute scene later!!!! *blushes and flops around*
> 
> But also, *clears throat* as you already noticed, the ex-lover is now starting to try to reconnect with our Cheollie. So Hannie really needs to realize his feelings and start to take care of his man cus our Cheol’s just a really confused, soft alpha.
> 
> ALSOOO, Coups is starting to really care about Hannie’s mental health! He’s starting to be less selfish and care about Hannie T__T
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, as always guys, thanks so much for reading and leaving me comments! I really appreciate it and read each and every one of them! As I mentioned, I’m really excited to start the next chapter so hopefully I’ll post it soon!! <3<3
> 
> P/S something happened in this chapter which will become really important in the future *teases* And no, not Woo Ri. hohohoo


	21. Chapter 21

The room was too silent. Was it always this silent? It felt like he was stuck in a small, contained, unventilated space.

 

Dead.

 

But, this place had been dead for a while now. Since a month ago to be exact. And he had no trouble sleeping back then, so why couldn’t he sleep at all right now? Was it because he had been doing so on the way back from Geoje? But he was already tired from walking around the campus for a few times, he should be able to rest. And yet, he had been lying on the bed for the past five hours, and still, no progress.

 

Jeonghan took a long breath and stared at the dark ceiling. Right now, the silence was suffocating him. He even regretted not buying a normal clock because at least, the ticking would be able to keep him company during times like this. The air conditioner was on, he was supposed to be comfortable. He was, until he wasn’t anymore. He tried the floor, thinking the bed was too soft but that didn’t work too. Nothing work. And now it was already 2 in the morning.

 

Getting up, Jeonghan sat on the chair, hoping it would somehow help him sleep. It didn’t, obviously, and the student ended up staring outside, at the dark garden. Had he been in his normal condition, the view would seem eerie, but now he was just desperate for a rest.

 

‘Is the club still open…?’ he started talking to himself, wanting to hear some sort of sound. Unless he opened the window or door, the airtight construction of his room practically forbids all sounds from entering and escaping hence the solemn atmosphere. ‘Should be closed at five…’ he continued, thinking out loud. Taking the clock to confirm the time, he calculated the time it would take for him to arrive if he get ready now. Walking takes more or less an hour, and he had to get ready so about another half hour. Which meant he would be there about and hour and a half before closing time. That was not ideal. The good alphas were probably already taken and the ones left would be either too drunk or too unattractive.

 

He was not that desperate. He just wanted to sleep. Just like everyone was doing at the moment.

 

Joshua! America is more than 12-hour later than Korea so his friend should be awake! He should call the other omega and talk, if, he was not busy. Taking his phone, Jeonghan quickly open his chat room with the other before noticing the picture Joshua sent him two days ago. His friend was already back in Korea since school will start in two weeks.

 

Sighing, disappointed, Jeonghan took out the only option he knew would work – the sleeping pills. He really hates to consider this, because of the headache he would get the next day. Also, the fact that he was once addicted to the pills so, unless it is an emergency, he would not swallow it. And tonight, was not enough to be an emergency.

 

How should he fall asleep? He had nothing to do now. He was not in the mood to do anything. His mind was already tired.

 

Biting his thumbnail, Jeonghan sat back on the chair and opened his laptop, reducing the brightness to the lowest. He started to type in ‘how to sleep’ and one by one, opened the all the sites on the first result page.

 

‘Ensure everything’s in good condition to sleep. Heh, am I stupid to sleep somewhere else and complain?’ He mumbled to himself as he went down the list. It was not helping at all. He didn’t drink alcohol or coffee either. Why would he even care to search if he did all those things? Who the hell sees this and realize they can’t sleep because their rooms are not comfortable or because they drank coffee? Stupid people, that is who. Slamming the computer close in frustration, Jeonghan continued biting his nails. In two hours, the sky would start to lighten, and heat would seep through with the sunshine. And it would be even harder to sleep then. He was out of option. Lifting the computer back up, he typed ‘how to relax’.

 

‘Listening to white noise?’ Jeonghan was impressed at the discovery and was eager to try. He opened the window, focused his ears on the sound of silence before getting annoyed by the cicadas. Then he closed the window back, sealing himself in stillness. Thinking on his feet, he opened some white noise videos, the hour-long one, figuring he would need some time to lose himself.

 

And he did.

 

Everything seemed fine.

 

He was floating…

 

‘GODDAMMIT!’ Jeonghan screamed in frustration as advertisement disrupted his journey to tranquility. Knowing fully well nobody would hear him, he continued screaming until his throat hurts, punching the pillows and throwing his blanket away. Heaving, he opened the last tab and continued reading.

 

Aromatherapy? That sounded nice. But it was not as if he had a humidifier or any essential oils right now. Scrolling down, concluding he had nothing to help him, Jeonghan stared at the drawer. ‘No, no.’ He convinced himself, and decided to return to the aromatherapy bit. Since he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, he might as well do some research and buy the humidifier once the store opens in a few hours. Then he would be able to use it whenever he has this kind of problem again.

 

Satisfied with his plan, Jeonghan started his research by finding scents to help him sleep, and another to help him relax. He wanted two, because he knew he get bored easily. And he might just wanted to relax without losing consciousness. So two - to relax and to sleep.

 

‘Lavendar? That’s my scent? But I have anxiety? Yah, you lying piece of article…’ Jeonghan thought out loud to entertain himself. It was so ironic how his omega scent was listed first in almost all the articles he read on relaxing and sedative aromas and yet, he couldn’t for the life of him, calm down. Granted, he couldn’t smell himself, but it was still interesting to know.

 

‘Vetiver? What’s that? Sandalwood…’ Jeonghan bit his lips, bemused. He knew one alpha with that scent. Oh Sehun, the man he had been sleeping with for a few years. No wonder he found the man’s presence calming, it was not his personality or whatnot, it was his damn scent. Come to think of it, although he didn’t know how most of the scents written in the article smell like, he bet most of those he slept with bear those pheromones. How interesting to know. He should keep the alphas with these scents close.

 

Wait.

 

Cedarwood?

 

Choi Seungcheol.

 

A smile curved on his face as the image of the alpha appeared. That would very much explain why he could sleep well yesterday. The man has good, relaxing pheromones. It also explains why he was attracted to the man during orientation, considering his taste in alpha had been those with scents of similar effects. It might not be completely true as he also slept with a few with refreshing and energizing scents, but that was what he concluded. He unconsciously look for those who can help him relax.

 

Maybe.

 

No, he was pretty sure that was the reason.

 

Now returning his focus on the screen, Jeonghan decided he wouldn’t need the humidifier as quickly. He just wanted to make sure he chose the best scent which can actually help him. So, buying online it was. Confirming his order for the humidifier, he proceeded to search for the desired scent.

 

The first would be lavender. He was curious about his own scent, and if it really does help him relax. It did feel weird, because if he liked it, it would seem like he is obsessed with himself, which was cringy to think about. But, it was better than having another omega’s scent floating around the room while he was sleeping. The next…

 

Jeonghan tapped his fingers. All the alphas he slept with was not good enough for him to remember them every night. What if he chose a scent, and had a bad experience with an alpha with that scent? Then he would no longer able to use his aroma oil, which was not ideal. He could use sandalwood though, it was not as if he cared about the model nor did he have bad memories about him. It was also proven to work, considering how many nights he spent with Sehun to help his sleeping problems. So, that was an option.

 

Or…

 

Cedarwood didn’t seem like a bad idea either. He was, able to sleep just fine yesterday. And, they are good friends so he was sure he would never have any bad memories to be associated with Seungcheol. The alpha is just too good to hurt him. It wouldn’t hurt his ego either, unlike taking in Sehun’s scent just to sleep.

 

Yeah. Cedarwood seems nice.

 

Choosing lavender and cedarwood, one each, he clicked the ‘confirm’ button and laid back down on the bed. He couldn’t wait for his aromas and humidifier to arrive so he can test them. He wondered if mixing the scents would be smell good…

 

Speaking of Seungcheol, he wondered what the alpha was doing. Probably sleeping.

 

100% sleeping.

 

But, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right? Worst case scenario, he wouldn’t reply. Best case scenario, he would get a funny, sleep-typing reply from the dumb alpha. He wondered if the man’s brain is set on meme autopilot and he would send some random picture he had on his phone without thinking. Because that was what he usually does.

 

_Wanna come jog with me?_

 

Jeonghan smiled as he heard the voice message, turning his head towards the drawer. He was right, he didn’t need the pills today. And he didn’t need the humidifier right away.

 

Looks like he would be able to sleep today after all.

*****

 

‘What’s the deal with sunrise anyways?’ Jeonghan questioned as they sat on the bench, watching the bright ball of light slowly announcing its arrival. It hurt his eyes, so he covered them and peeked through the small opening. Besides him, Seungcheol, wearing his sunglasses, only laughed at his antics. He told the omega to wait for a while as he returned to his car parked right behind them and took out his mother’s pair of sunglasses to pass to the pretty male.

 

‘I still don’t get it.’ The man complained again, leaning against the backrest. He then let his head fall and stared at the sky above them instead. ‘So overrated.’

 

‘It’s calming.’ Seungcheol replied. He leaned back, imitating his friend and confessed, ‘Honestly I thought it would be more beautiful than this.’

 

‘Owh. You thought it’s gonna be romantic?’ Jeonghan teased, earning him a chuckle. After a few moment, the other answered honestly, ‘I wanted to clear my mind for a bit. And I did.’

 

‘So… not because you wanna get sexy with me? Ahk!’ Jeonghan screamed as his left thigh was pinched by the alpha, apologizing playfully when the man started to lock his head in his arm. When both of them calmed down, both stomachs grumbled at the same time, bursting them into laughter. Seungcheol suggested eating but it was still too early for Jeonghan. He didn’t feel like eating. This was his first time jogging. It was exhausting. If he were to take in any food right now, he was sure he would vomit. Besides, the only place opened this early in the morning would be fast food joints, and having those for breakfast didn’t seem healthy. Settling with grabbing coffees, Seungcheol started his car to drive them to the nearest coffee shop opened.

 

‘How was your first day back?’ the alpha asked, just because. Jeonghan only sighed as an answer, asking the other how he spent his instead. He was really curious of how others do it. He watched the televisions and videos, went to the library, eat at some restaurants and cafes, basically what everybody does, but he couldn’t stand it anymore. It felt as if his life has lost all meanings. ‘I practiced basketball.’

 

‘What for?’

 

‘The game. We have a friendly match next month.’ Seungcheol turned his head towards Jeonghan who nodded slowly, wondering what his reaction was. It was interesting how the man felt the holidays were too long, because he personally wanted more. In just two weeks, he would have to return to studying and losing sleep, but it seemed, Jeonghan was looking forward to that. Eventhough he knew the man was not that interested in his major. So confusing. ‘You’re not in any clubs? Not, the dance club.’ He quickly added once he sensed what the other was going to answer. A shook of the head and he suggested, ‘What bout singing? You like singing.’

 

‘Hah!’

 

‘What? You always sing when you’re alone. You think I never heard it?’

 

‘You’re such a stalker.’

 

‘Well you have a good voice. I like it.’ Seungcheol continued, holding his grin when he noticed Jeonghan getting red and became speechless. This was his first time seeing him acting shy. Maybe this was his first time being told such a thing. Noting how the man started to open his glove compartment again, he turned on the radio to let some songs fill the silence.

 

Teasing Jeonghan in return was fun. He wondered if Joshua would get on board if he tries to do it again later. Because he could never win with the two combined. And he really wanted to see Jeonghan like this again.

*****

 

Seungcheol tilted his head, confirming the omega was not in his seat. He turned his body towards the café to look for his companion but the man was nowhere in sight. Thinking he might be using the washroom, Seungcheol decided to wait for him in the car first, since he was holding their coffees. Just as he opened the door, the figure of Jeonghan sleeping almost peacefully on the back seat brought a grin on his face. Had he waited a few more minutes, he would have gotten to drink his coffee to fight the exhaustion. Sending a message to his family to let them know he was having the car for a few more hours, Seungcheol slowly leaned his seat backward, careful not to disturb the other.

 

And very slowly, drifted to sleep.

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!!! I actually wanted this to be a part of the next chapter but I realized how long this is! But, I really wanted to write this so I’m posting it as a bonus chapter, or a filler!! This won’t really affect the next chapter, and it’s what happened to Jeonghan when he messaged Coups in the last chapter :3
> 
> It’s fluffy. And it’s cute. And it’s fluffy. Also, now we know why Jeonghan decided to join the singing club like I wrote in CTLF ;D YAY FOR BEING A GOOD AUTHOR!! o(*>ω<*)o
> 
>  
> 
> So, just a quick explanation on scents, I associated the alpha/omega scents with aromatherapy scents, so it has these effects on others. But, really, once you get used to it, just like any other scents, it won’t affect you as much so it’s not as if those with minty or citrusy scents will cause their partners to not be able to relax or vice versa. It’s a psychological thing as well.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, scents had been affecting Jeonghan for a long time, even more than it usually affects other alphas/omegas. He still remembers the scents of his attackers hence he would hate those with similar scents and avoid them just by association. And he also has a thing against other omegas due to his bitter personality so, like I wrote in the chapter, he doesn’t like being enveloped by other omega’s scent. In conclusion, he is very particular about pheromones and scents. Things would get better as he starts to slowly open himself up in the future, but for now, only certain people and scents are acceptable to Jeonghan ^^
> 
>  
> 
> It’s already so late at night (or early morning) so I’m just gonna leave this here and reply to your last comments in the morning :3 That is all for!! Hope you enjoyed this bonus chapter!! Love you guys so much!! <3<3


	22. Chapter 22

Already done putting everything in place, Seungcheol decided to walk around his dormitory, just because. Class would start in less than two weeks so there were not so many people on campus. He saw a few familiar faces belonging to different floors, but his own had no other students except himself. The usually noisy hallways seemed so silent, it was a bit eerie. He wondered how Jeonghan managed to live alone in his own for the last month…

 

Looking at the clock, Seungcheol decided it was time for lunch. He brought out his phone and chose a comfortable space on the couch before beginning to type –

_You free? Let’s have lunch :)_

 

He waited for a while but there was no reply, making him wondered what Jeonghan was doing. Was he still sleeping? He might be, considering there were nothing to do, and he is not the type to go out in the afternoon either. Should he call the man instead? It was already one, if in half an hour Jeonghan still hadn’t reply, he should call him just to check. Owh, speak of the devil.

_What to do? I have lunch plan – Jeonghan-ie_

 

‘Heol. Must be lying.’ Seungcheol muttered to himself, biting his lower lip as he thought about what to reply. Sending a judging husky pic, he waited for the other.

_It’s true. – Jeonghan-ie_

_I’m odw to the shelter. – Jeonghan-ie_

_Yah. Why do I have to explain myself to you? – Jeonghan-ie_

_Who do you think you are? – Jeonghan-ie_

 

Seungcheol laughed at the passive-aggressive tone of the message. It seemed, he found the omega’s new favourite phrase. Also, he didn’t ask, the omega was the one who told him. Sighing, accepting the fact that his lunch partner was not available, he decided to walk around campus to see which restaurant was opened. He was sure the main cafeteria was, considering the fourth-year students and the graduate students do not have holidays like the freshmen. Opting to go there, he started to feel a bit awkward eating alone without his usual companions.

 

Well, at least Jeonghan was not as lonely as he thought the man was. That was good to know.

 

*****

Jeonghan stared outside at the familiar gate, wondering why he came here in the first place. That’s right, fucking Seungcheol’s question about returning to this place kept replaying in his head so he came here to make it stop. His thoughts obviously took longer than he should as the taxi driver started to question whether they were at the right address. Nodding and apologizing for taking his time, Jeonghan quickly brought out his money and pay the old driver before he would change his mind. Because he was starting to. He wanted to ask the man to drive him back to the dorm.

 

But, he was already here. He should go inside.

 

It was not as if he was planning to stay or anything. He just wanted to say hi. Just a few minutes and he would leave.

 

Yeah, it was not as if he didn’t bring anything with him. He brought some fruits. A box of fruits.

 

Was that too much? Should he just bring a basket or something?

 

‘Jeonghan-ah! Is that you?’ The confused man turned his head around to look for the owner of the voice. He recognized her as one of the caretaker ahjummas, and as if confirming his suspicion, she appeared in front of him, with a broom in her right hand. ‘Aigoo… You’ve grown so much!! Come on in! What’re you doing outside! Come on!’ She excitedly pulled his elbow, careful not to use strength as he was clearly holding onto a heavy box. A bit awkward at the sudden warm welcome, he could only let himself led to the waiting room – a place similar to a living room where guests are brought to especially for adoption purposes. Being led here made him feel like an outsider, but then again, he was.

 

‘Mr. Lee knows you’re here?’ She asked as she took a seat right in front of him, all smiles. Shyly, Jeonghan shook his head. He wasn’t sure he wanted to come, so he didn’t tell anyone about it in case he decided not to. Then, a familiar force was felt on his thigh as she hit him softly while scolding him to tell them when he wanted to visit. He remembered this feeling all too well, except, he didn’t hate it as much as he did back then. Apparently most ahjummas do it, including Mrs. Choi who hit her two sons sometimes. He always thought they hated him because he always caused trouble, only now he knew, it was just within their nature to do so. With his cheeks vibrating as his mouth struggled to keep straight, he started to laugh awkwardly.

 

This was weird. His cheeks were getting warm…

 

‘Okay. Just stay here a minute. I’ll go tell them you’re here. They’re busy preparing for game night.’ Jeonghan nodded, thankful that she was leaving. As the door closed, he leaned on the backrest and sighed, studying the interior of the room. Pieces of paper could be seen hidden behind some of the decorations, he was sure a few would be underneath the cushion. Crouching down, he smiled as he took the pink paper labeled B-6 and a star before folding it back and returning it. The treasure hunt; he did it a few times before he himself helped organizing it once he got older. To think that it hadn’t even been a year since he left, and already, it felt like a very distant memory…

 

*****

‘How’s university? Fun?’ The principle offered him tea and proceeded to take a seat in front of him. The old man’s office still remained the same after all this time, granted it had only been half a year. Giving him a less than content answer, he asked the other how he had been. Ahjusshi was the only one he bothered keeping in touch with besides his therapist, so the interaction was not as awkward as it was with all the other staffs who came to greet him a few minutes earlier. Thankfully the old man sensed his discomfort and dragged him towards his office.

 

As expected from the principle.

 

‘You’re doing okay?’ The man suddenly asked, a question which caught him off-guard. Laughing softly, trying to brush it off, his smile faded as he realized why it was asked in the first place. It was about his mother’s ex-lover, or ‘dad’ as he was forced to call the man. It was a bit weird why it came up, considering he already assured both the principle, and Detective Young that he was okay. Even though it did bother him, he just didn’t want to hear anything about it anymore, choosing to trust the system.

 

Just, the brief look on the old man told him there was something else. But he was quick to hide it, sensing Jeonghan had no clue about whatever he had in mind, hence the unconcerned demeanor. That, on the contrary, piqued younger male’s interest. ‘What? His plea’s rejected right? I don’t really need to care about him.’ He again, tried to brush it off. This time, the other agreed, his face turned light but Jeonghan knew him too well to fall for it. There was definitely something else. And he wanted to know what it was.

 

‘He, used the fact that you’re an adult as an argument.’ Jeonghan nodded, somehow already expecting it. The damned alpha was charged with sexual assault and exploitation, but because he only did it to Jeonghan and not other children, the charge depended heavily on him. And he just happened to be a minor then. In other word, the world didn’t see the man as a pedophile, rather, a man with a sick obsession with his lover’s son. It made sense that the man would try to use Jeonghan’s official adulthood as an excuse. He just, didn’t want to think about it so much because…

 

‘It was a close call.’ The old man continued, repeating what was told by the detective a few days prior.

 

Jeonghan felt his heart stopped for a few moments. This was exactly the reason why he didn’t want to hear about the details. Because he knew the man had been portraying himself as a model prisoner. And he knew there was a chance he would be let out of prison despite being sentenced long enough he would die waiting to be free.

 

Feeling a bit regret for forcing it out, Jeonghan cursed himself inside. It was obvious that ahjusshi didn’t want to tell him, but he just had to know. But then again, he was also glad he asked, because at least, despite it being a ‘close call’, he knew the system still hadn’t fail him. The argument he knew could be the start of his nightmare, was apparently not good enough to allow him to be haunted yet again. And that, was enough for him to feel some sort of security.

 

Well, maybe not tonight. He was still a bit shaken.

 

‘You, wanna stay here tonight? Your old room is still available.’ Ahjusshi offered, as if reading his mind.

 

*****

Before he realized, it was already the end of Game Day. The children are now gathered at the hall, excited for their names to be called. The game ended right before dinner, so they wouldn’t rush and just enjoy their hard work for the day. After ensuring all the boards and hidden ‘treasure’ had been collected and cleaned, Jeonghan finally returned to the hall, just listening to the names announced and the children cheering. He ended up helping the volunteers with the event in the end, which he really didn’t mind. He did it countless times, he was good at it. Really good at it. And, it was fun. He actually forgot how enjoyable this was, all he remembered was how he was ‘forced’ to help each year and how he was thankful to finally leave so he wouldn’t have to do it ever again. Who would have thought he would voluntarily do it now.

 

This was so strange.

 

After more announcements, Jeonghan started to get bored. Bringing out his mobile phone from his back pocket and walking out of the noisy hall, he noticed a message from a very familiar alpha.

_Dinner? – Cheollie_

 

Jeonghan stared at the message, wondering why the alpha had been asking him out to eat today. Wouldn’t it be a bit too far to drive half an hour to campus just to eat? Or did the alpha miss him already? Laughing at the thought, shaking his head at the ridiculousness, he started to type a response. Then deleted it.

 

Why would he tell the man about what he was doing right now? He could just say no. Besides, the message was an hour ago, Seungcheol would probably know his answer considering he didn’t reply then.

 

Or, would he still be waiting for an answer and didn’t eat dinner yet?

 

Hrm? Why would he do that? He probably already had dinner at home and was just bored. It was not as if he was asking for them to have dinner together. The message literally just have ‘dinner?’ written, no words clearly suggesting the man wanted to invite him out.

 

But, was he? Jeonghan was not sure anymore. No, he knew the man wouldn’t wait for him even if he WAS inviting him for dinner. Why did he even think the man would wait for him? Did he actually wished Seungcheol would?

 

‘Aish.’ Frustrated at himself, and at the alpha for making him like this when he was having a good time, he clicked on the phone icon to talk to the man directly. It took a few rings, but Seungcheol finally answered, his voice soft. ‘ _Jeonghan-ah, annyeong._ ’

 

‘Yah, why are you so hungry? Did you have your dinner?’ He quickly nagged, venting his discontent. He could hear the other chuckled but paid no mind as he continued to tell the man to eat, despite not knowing the answer to his question. He just, wanted to clear his mind.

 

‘ _I just got back from the gym. Gonna have dinner now._ ’ Jeonghan looked at the screen which showed a little pass eight, which was late for dinner. But then again, he never had his dinner at precisely at a certain time either, unlike when he was here at the shelter, so it was not as if he had the right to complain. ‘Your mom’s okay with you not having dinner yet?’

 

‘ _I’m already at campus. She wouldn’t know._ ’  The alpha answered, which surprised Jeonghan. There was still a week before school starts, why was he already there? ‘ _You ate?_ ’

 

Jeonghan hummed as an answer, not wanting to give a proper response just yet. The campus is not that far from town, and neither is the shelter. Considering, he might need his alpha scent tonight to calm his nerve after the talk with the principle, accompanying Seungcheol might not be a bad idea after all. Before the other could hang up, Jeonghan added, ‘Let’s have bibimbap. At the east side.’ He again looked at his screen for the time, ‘Meet you at the bus stop in 30 mins?’

 

‘You’re leaving? I thought you’re staying tonight?’ Jeonghan almost jumped at the sudden voice behind him. Turning around to see his old therapist, he bowed politely and told her his plan to eat with friend. He could see her face brightened up at the word ‘friend’, as she had been urging him to make one, or a few, for years. Just as he was about to continue, another one of the caretaker ahjumma overheard them and curiously asked, ‘A date? An alpha? A boyfriend?’

 

‘Ms. Je-‘

 

‘Ah, no. Just a friend.’ He cut off his therapist, knowing that she was about to scold the older woman and wanted to avoid such heavy atmosphere. He knew the lady was just joking, but he knew how serious the therapist in her mid-40s was about this kind of things. After all, Jeonghan was hurt by male alphas so such joke could trigger him if thrown thoughtlessly. But then again, he was infamous for sneaking out to sleep with male alphas in the first place, so obviously, the joke would never affect him.

 

Excusing himself with a promise to catch up tomorrow, Jeonghan ran up to his old room to clean up a bit. However, he was apparently not quickly enough as the curious lady caught up with him. ‘A date right? Aigoo, look at you glowing.’

 

‘Eh?’ Jeonghan’s eyes widened at the guess, feeling a bit taken aback. Suddenly feeling his face becoming red, he politely denied her accusation. Knowing that she was just bored, the young man told her he was going out with another omega as well. It took a bit of convincing; god knows why he even bothered, but she finally left him alone. Making his way to the nearest toilet, Jeonghan stared at his reflection.

 

He was definitely not glowing... Owh?

 

‘Pfft, ahjumma!’ Jeonghan let out a loud laugh as he realized the woman was just teasing him; his face was covered by some glitter from the games. Trying his best to wash it off, his mind started to wander.

 

He and Seungcheol went out for food together a lot of times already. If those were dates, they would already be a couple. This was not a date.

 

Is it?

 

No. Definitely not.

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again guys!! This is a shorter chapter but god, the two are definitely missing each other without realizing :3
> 
> You guys noticed how Coups is actually worried that his omega gets lonely and decided to get back to campus earlier? Because that’s exactly what he’s doing UwU And Hannie can’t help but listen (keyword, listen) to his alpha to go to the shelter instead of being depressed alone in his dorm room… These two are just… so hopelessly dumb XD
> 
> Also, I can’t help but reference the Meanie Vlive with Mingyu nagging and Coups screaming BIBIMBAP! Ahh… one of my fav Meanie feat. Third-wheel Coups ever XD So, I made Hannie do the nagging instead! HOHOHOHOOO!
> 
> Next will be the start of the new school term. And the drama. It’ll get a bit annoying for a while but please bear with it :D Our fools need that little shove.
> 
>  
> 
> As usual, don’t be shy and let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I’ll definitely reply :3 I love you guys so much! <3<3

**Author's Note:**

> I finally decided to write Jeongcheol’s story of my omegaverse!! It's been almost a year since my fics ended and I missed you readers so much! I'm still working on the storyline. I'm thinking of 20+ chapters but based on previous experience, I might end up writing almost 40 chapters. I mean, who knows? Lol!
> 
> As I mentioned to some of you readers, the story's going to be a bit dark and angsty (just like my other fics, duh xD) Just a trigger warning, there will be mention of child abuse and mention of rape. Also, this is an omegaverse so we get all the typical mpreg stuff we all love…. Or maybe just a mention. Haha!
> 
> Anyways, please do share me your thoughts on this fic! And leave me comments to show your love and support ❤️❤️❤️ Love you!!!


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